Lost
by rebelrsr
Summary: Buffy left something in Los Angeles when she and Joyce moved to Sunnydale. After defeating the First, she goes back to reclaim it.  Co-written with Zigpal
1. Chapter 1

Title: Lost

Authors: Tim(meh) and Chris

Summary: Buffy left something behind in Los Angeles when she and Joyce moved to Sunnydale. Now, after defeating the First, she returns for it.

Disclaimers: Lots of vague references to canon events. However, this one is largely an alternative view of things – especially those prior to the S1 pilot episode.

Rating: NC-17

A/N: This was originally done as a role play and written entirely in first person (from both characters' perspectives). Any mistakes in pronouns are entirely mine… The original format of the fic didn't lend itself to a rewrite. Transitions are abrupt and sometimes seem disconnected. Mea cupla. Tim and I hope the story will be enjoyable enough for you to overlook the flaws.

Buffy hesitated, frowning, at the window. Faith was here. In town. The frown turned into a scowl. She was fairly certain she knew why Faith had showed up in Los Angeles and she vowed not to let anything supplant Tory's needs. After seven years, Buffy wasn't willing to expose her to the life she'd left behind. She glanced at the clock and prayed Tory got home before Faith showed up at the door.

Sitting in her car, Faith shared some of Buffy's concerns. She could feel the other Slayer, but… Where the hell was she? It was like Buffy was moving around, avoiding her on purpose. She couldn't get a fix on Buffy's location, and Faith didn't exactly have an address. Damn Willow and her big green eyes. "Go find, Buffy, Faith. Please?" she'd pleaded. Why couldn't Kennedy have made the trip? Faith wasn't part of the group. She never had been. If Buffy even allowed herself to be found, she'd probably be happier trying to kill Faith again rather than let herself be dragged back to Cleveland.

The sound of Tory using her key on the front door reached Buffy as she finished putting fruit slices on a plate. She wiped her hands on a towel and hurried out of the kitchen. "Hi, sweetie. Did you have a good day at school?" Buffy asked, kissing Tory's forehead and pulling her into a hug.

Tory looked up at Buffy with Pike's eyes."Yes, Mom, it was fine," she said giving Buffy a smile. "And I know; homework before cartoons." Linking her fingers with Buffy's, Tory walked back into the kitchen.

Mom. It was a word Buffy never thought she would hear. Watching Tory spread her things out on the kitchen table, she bowed her head. She'd didn't regret her decisions. Either of them. Thank God (or the PtB) that the New Council was in good hands with Faith and Dawn. It had given her a chance to return to LA and reclaim her daughter.

Faith finally got a lock on Buffy. It was about fucking time. Following the pull of the bond through LA traffic hadn't been easy, and she was boiling by the time she wheeled up in front of a very nice house. "Sweet. Wonder if this is B's?" Grimacing, she wryly acknowledged she needed to stop spending so much time alone. Talking to herself was becoming a habit.

Hopping out of the car and stretching, she peered around. Nothing seemed out of place. Faith strolled up to the front door and rang the bell.

Buffy continued to watch Tory doing her homework – and hoped she didn't need any help. School had never been something Buffy did well, and there was no way she'd be able to offer help if it was needed. Her thoughts were interrupted by the doorbell. "I'll get it, sweetie."

Unlocking the deadbolt, she opened the door. "Hello, Faith. Come in." Buffy stepped back and waited.

"Wasn't expecting a welcome, B," Faith told her as she stepped inside. The wasn't what she was expecting, either. Cluttered but clean. And…were those stuffed animals on the couch? "Red and the gang were worried. You dropped off the map without sending a post card."

There was someone else here. Faith could hear utensils and smell food in the kitchen. "Damn. I didn't mean to interrupt anything." Fuck. Buffy had a man here. It figured. "You wanna have breakfast or something in the morning? They've waited this long for news. I don't think Red'll turn me into a frog if I give you one more night."

Buffy offered Faith a smile before grabbing her hand. "You're always welcome here, Faith, and I'm sorry for worrying the guys. But I was needed here. Besides, you had everything under control and Dawn was stoked to become a Watcher." Seeing Faith's confused look, Buffy took her into the kitchen. She'd learned something over the years. Hiding things and keeping secrets never ended well. After a deep breath, Buffy announced, "Faith, this is Tory. My daughter."

The eyes were different, but the little girl was Buffy in a teeny body. Faith bit back her, "What the fuck?" and settled on, "Hey, Little T. I'm Faith." She held out her hand and got a nice handshake back. Looking over her head at Buffy, Faith waited for the explanation. No way. This kid was six, maybe seven. When the hell had Buffy been pregnant? And how come no one knew about the kid?

"Hi, Aunt Faith," Tory said. "You were right, Mom. She is pretty."

Buffy stifled a laugh as she ran her hand over Tory's hair. "Come on, Faith. I'm sure you want some 'splainy.'" Getting a nod, she took Faith's hand again and returned to the living room. Buffy sat Faith on the couch before taking a spot on the coffee table in front of her. "I had Tory when I was fifteen. Her father is Pike – a guy at Hemery. Nobody, not even Dawn, knows about her but you." Buffy started with the basics, willing to let Faith ask specific questions about the rest of the details.

"How does she know about me?" It wasn't the most important question, but… Faith waved a hand at Buffy. "Never mind. Pike? You had a guy before Fang? And how does your own sister not know? Come on, B. No way was the Council out of the loop on this. You mean Giles was OK with you leaving your kid to go kill vamps?"

Buffy laughed at the string of questions. "Tory knows about you because I've been telling her about her family since I got her back." She didn't mention that there was a small portion of her that wanted Faith to be more than simply part of the family. "I was planning on coming to Cleveland after the school year to let Tory finish out the school year here. To get back to the story: Pike was my boyfriend pre-Sunnydale. He – and Tory – happened a long time before Giles. Only Mom and Dad knew about Tory. Dawn doesn't know because I ran away until Tory was born. I left her with Dad's parents and was all set to let her live out her life without me. Now that I'm not the only Slayer, though, I wanted to see her grow up."

Faith held up her hands. "Power down, B. I ain't here to tell you to give her up. How could I? I didn't even know about her until a minute ago. I'm just here cause Red turned on the waterworks and asked me to find you." Faith didn't say anything else. It wasn't her job to fill Buffy in on the big news. "I'm just playing messenger."

About that time, Tory came out of the kitchen. "Aunt Faith, are you hungry? Mom makes really good hamburgers."

Faith shot Buffy a look. "Ah, no thanks, Little T. I'm good." She didn't want Buffy to burn the house down in some lame attempt to make dinner.

Punching Faith on the arm, Buffy said, "I'm actually a pretty good cook now, Faith." Buffy wanted to call Faith something nasty, but Tory kept her from doing it. "Hey, Tor, watch your toons with Faith while I get dinner started, and if she tries to leave, you have my permission to use whatever means necessary to keep her here. Faith, try and tone down the language." She leaned forward to kiss Faith on the lips before smiling at Tory and heading to the kitchen.

"Your mom is crazy, you know?" Faith got a huge grin and a nod from Tory. "You're alright, though. What's your favorite cartoon?" They'd be good as long as it wasn't the Care Bears.

Tory didn't answer right away. She carefully set her glass on a coaster and hopped onto the couch first. "Kim Possible."

Faith dropped onto the floor in front of her. Not knowing if Buffy had told her about the Slaying, she couldn't tell her that Buffy could kick Kim's ass with both arms tied behind her back.

Buffy smiled from the kitchen doorway, watching her girls. Her girls. Well, maybe that would be true once she convinced Faith to date her. For now, she was cooking dinner. Ducking back into the kitchen, Buffy grabbed the twenty pack of burgers and got them started. The macaroni and cheese was next and then the McCain Smiles Tory liked. Before flipping the burgers, she put her favorite spices on them the way her daughter liked them.

"Shego's my fav," Faith told Tory as Shego and Kim fought in a secret underground lab.

The little blonde head shook. "No. Kim's better. She's good."

Well, yeah. Faith rolled her eyes. "But she likes the dweebie Ron guy." The comment got Faith some giggles from her young companion, and she grinned. How could she resist that sound? "What do you think? Kim and Shego? Way better than Kim and Ron." Buffy was going kill her. She was talking dating between two women (even if they were just cartoon characters) with her kid.

Buffy froze when she heard Faith mention the cartoon pairing. Tory knew about her feelings for Faith, and she could only wait to see how her daughter would handle the situation. Forcing herself to move, she put the Smiles in the oven and turned the hamburgers one more time.

"Kinda like you and Mom?" Tory asked.

"Me and your mom what, Little T?" Faith was only half paying attention. The smells from the kitchen had her beast all riled up. Between the growls and the gnawing, she was feeling a bit faint.

A small hand thunked the back of her head.

"Hey, none of that." Faith spun around and mock glared. "You're cruisin', ya' know."

Laughing, Buffy plattered the burgers Faith was out of her league and she had completely missed

what Tory tried to bring to her attention. Pulling out the trays of Smiles and dumping them into a bowl, Buffy stirred the cheese into the macaroni. "Girls, dinner!" Now it was time to see how dinner with Faith and Tory went.

"Food!" Faith bolted up, grabbing Tory and tossing her over her shoulder. Grinning maniacally at the giggles, she ran into the kitchen. "Just put it all in front of me, B. I could eat a horse." She noticed the kid-sized glass and dumped Tory in the correct chair. "Dig in, Little T, or there won't be anything left for you."

"She kind of knows about Slayers, Faith. The first time I ate in front of her I had to explain. She knows about Aunt Willow and magic, too. And she really wants to meet grandpa Giles." Buffy gave Tory her share of the food before making her own plate. "The rest of it is fair game, Faith, but I warn you that Tory gets feisty when it comes to her Smiles." She winked at Faith and dug in, waiting to see how Faith handled her cooking.

Faith didn't even ask what a 'smile' was. Grabbing a burger, she piled lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and onions on it then added ketchup, mustard, and mayo, too. Squishing it all together she took a huge bite – and moaned. The burger – and nine of its closest friends – disappeared in minutes. "God, B, these are good." She finally left the meat for some cheesy goodness.

"And you made fun of my cooking; I accept your apology, cutie." Buffy gave Tory a wink. "So, Faith, you need someplace to stay. I have room in my big bed. I'd offer you Tory's room, but her princess bed probably would be too small." She made a half dozen burgers disappear herself.

"Mom, before I forget, I have a request form for the planetarium," Tory mentioned as Buffy got distracted from the way Faith was staring at her.

"Okay sweetie, I'll take care of it," she mumbled.

First the kiss, now the offer of her bed. What was Buffy up to? Faith considered calling her bluff. She'd wanted to cuddle with Buffy for years. But she wasn't going to let her win. "Nah. You won't have to share, B. I know from Red that you get kinda handsy and all. I'll just sleep on the couch." Tory seemed intent on her food. Sneaking a hand over, Faith stole a fry.

And with Slayer quickness, Tory took her fry back and ate it. "Mom warned you not to take my Smiles."

Buffy chuckled as Tory stuck her tongue out at Faith.

"She won't get her full powers until she is fifteen, Faith. I found out from Lorne that she is a Slayer." Buffy didn't want to make a big deal out of the news. She was still working on keeping her own reactions and feelings at the calm end of the spectrum. "Are you sure about the bed? I'll keep my grabby hands under control."

"I'd sleep with her, Faith. She's liable to come down and sleep on the couch with you," Tory said, giggling as Buffy joined her.

Mumbling about mean and evil baby Slayers and their octopus-like mothers, Faith pretended to pout as she finished up her dinner. Once she'd vacuumed up all the food, Faith leaned back in her chair. "I really don't mind the couch, B, but if you're sure you can share, the bed sounds a lot more comfortable. My self control is real good these days, so you don't have to worry about anything happening." She got up, barely holding in a huge belch. "OK, Little T, you and me got clean up duty." Faith would have to ask Buffy about the Slayer thing. She'd sounded pretty all right with it, and that was a surprise. Faith knew Buffy had never been happy about the Calling.

Buffy sat back and watched while Faith and Tory cleared the table. Tory knew Buffy could hear her talking, so she didn't bother to worry once all the dishes were loaded into the sink. She simply grabbed a wooden step stool and started the water and said, "Mom likes you Faith you, and by that I mean like she loved Dad, Angel, and Riley. But she is nervous that you don't feel the same."

The kid was too cute. She was trying to hook Faith up with her mom. "Look, Little T, you're mom's the best. Me and her…we go way back. Maybe she likes me." Faith really doubted it. "But not like she did Angel. She loved Fang." Man, his undead heart might just start beating at seeing the munchkin.

Faith was as dense as Buffy, Tory realized. "The important word there is loved. Angel knows that Mom doesn't have those feelings for him anymore, and I can see it in your eyes that you like her, too. She talks about you all the time, but I'll leave it alone. You two can talk tomorrow." Tory concentrated on the dishes, just letting that sink in.


	2. Chapter 2

Faith stared at Tory the whole time they cleaned up. Was she right? Did Buffy want her? She nearly dropped a glass just considering it. She'd given up on that, finally. Prison and the round of shrinks had gotten Faith to see she was pining for the moon. Once the last dish was put away, she followed Tory into the living room. Buffy was on the couch with the news on. "Hey, B. I…ah…I'm kinda tired. You think it'd be alright if I went on to bed?" Faith had a lot to think about and she wasn't sure she could play nice for movie night.

Buffy smiled as the girls came in. "Okay, Faith; Tory can show you where everything is in the bathroom, and I have some large shirts for you to sleep in. And, Tor, I signed your slip, so enjoy," she said, giving her daughter a kiss before waving them both bye as they headed upstairs.

"Lead the way, Little T." Faith chuckled as she ran up the stairs. It reminded her of Buffy. "So you're a girly girl, huh? Planning on being a Prom Queen like your mom?"

"I'm gonna try, but Mom says there are more important things than titles. She just told me to be myself and grow into whoever I'm supposed to be." Tory poked Faith in the stomach. "I saw that picture of you in a dress," she teased, giggling at the face Faith made.

"Don't remind me, munchkin. I can't believe I let your mom talk me into that. The one I wanted was leather and…" Faith trailed off. "Well, it was a lot different. Your mom looked good, though. Until she had to fight off the vamps with Queen C. The mud wasn't good for the dress." Faith grinned, remembering the way Buffy and Cordelia had limped in, all dirty and torn. She'd thought Buffy had still been hot.

Tory pointed out the towels and bubble bath just in case Faith was interested. "Yeah, she looked

messy, but still pretty, and she told me you defended her will Scott Hope, too. She didn't explain what you said, but she said you were sweet. Okay, I explained the bathroom, and you can tell the rooms. I'll be up for awhile talking with some friends if you want to talk after your bubble bath." Tory stood on her tippy toes to kiss Faith's cheek.

"You're the best, Little T." She giggled and waved as she ran out. God, how did Buffy put up with all that energy? Faith started the water. No bath for this girl. A really hot shower did sound good, though. All that time in the car, and she felt like a pretzel. As Faith showered, she thought about Buffy and Tory and everything she'd heard and seen today. Was Buffy really interested? Tory thought so. Faith _wanted_ to think so, too. Toweling off quickly, she braided her hair and hurried down the hall to Buffy's room in just the towel.

Buffy really wanted to give Faith the time to think about the possibility of them as a couple, but they only had a couple weeks before school was out. They would be heading to Cleveland for the surprise of a lifetime for everyone, so as soon as she heard the bathroom door shut, Buffy turned off the TV and the lights before running upstairs. She picked up her book and started reading

while waiting for Faith to come in, and when she came in just a towel, Buffy went non-verbal. Sort of. "Hi, Faith."

"Hey, B." Faith tried to be cool. "Me and the munchkin never grabbed a shirt." Buffy pointed to a drawer. "Thanks." Flashing a smile, Faith turned around, rooting through the stuff until she found one that wasn't pink or cow-spotted. Then she froze. She had to take the towel off to put the shirt on. Fuck. Well, here was her chance to test things out. Keeping her back to Buffy, she let the towel fall to the floor before putting on the shirt.

Buffy was going to be a lady and not look, but this was Faith. Faith. So, she tried her best, and, when she dropped the towel, Buffy sucked in a deep breath. "Goddess." She continued to stare, not able to take her eyes off Faith

"See something you like, B?" Faith teased. Her eyes were wide and God…Faith burned where they touched. She wasn't doing anything stupid, though. Buffy was going to have to make the first move, and Faith wasn't looking for a one night stand. "Scoot over, B. I'm tired and I need my beauty sleep. More than that, I got to call Red in the morning and tell her we ain't coming back for a while. I need to be ready for that."

Buffy smiled before lifting up the bottom of her shirt. "Good. Just so you know, carpet matches the drapes now. And I'll handle Wil. I have Mom-face now, so I can trump her Resolve-face." Climbing off the bed and stripping naked in front of Faith, Buffy showed off her butt while grabbing a big shirt of her own. She made sure to turn around, still naked.

Thankfully, by the time Buffy turned around, Faith had gotten her eyes back in her head. "Don't know how you can make that comment about the drapes, there, B." Faith eyed Buffy's crotch. "Looks a little darker than what's up top." Not that she gave a fuck, but no way did she want Buffy to know just how freaked she was getting. After five years of figuring there was no way…It was going to take more than some T&A viewing to turn Faith into a true believer.

Draping the shirt over her before walking towards the bed, Buffy said, "Tory has her dad's hair, so she is truly blonde. I was planning on letting my roots grow out and just become a brunette." She climbed onto the bed and grabbed Faith's neck, bringing her in for a hungry kiss before pulling away. "I have loved you since the day I met you. I was afraid of my feelings then, but not anymore. I will give you whatever time you need, but you aren't just getting me now. I'm glad you're here." Buffy kissed her again before buttoning up her shirt and rolling off Faith.

"B…" Faith didn't know what to say. She'd never told anyone she loved them. Faith loved Buffy, though. At least, she thought that's what she felt for her. "Baby, I don't know how to be what you need." Reaching out with a hesitant hand, Faith stroked Buffy's hair. "I know how to do great sex. Not hearts and flowers. Not cuddling. Not kids."

Buffy pulled Faith on top of her, caressing her cheek. "I've done the hearts and flowers, and it has gotten mine broken. I can teach cuddling, and if you didn't notice, Tory is kind of grown – even if she is only seven. The hard stuff is done. I could use you for the teen years, though. But only if you want to be here." Buffy kissed Faith lightly. "Plus Tory already likes you, so it'snot like it is a big shock to the system."

"I want to try, B." Faith kissed her again, throttling back on her desire. "Little T is a hoot, but I ain't a good role model." Buffy just looked at her. "Like you don't know that." Faith grinned a little. "I remember dragging her mom into some crap when back in the 'dale. A little B&E and all. As long as you're good with me maybe not always knowing what to do, I'm willing to try."

"See, that's where you are wrong. You are a perfect role model for Tory because you have been through all that." Buffy steered the conversation away from her daughter, giving in to long-held fantasy. "You know, it isn't that late, so if you want to do some Buffy-touching, I wouldn't mind." She stroked her nails up and down Faith's back.

Shivering from the touch, Faith leaned down and kissed her deeply. Buffy's tongue was warm and wet and rough against her own. She settled her knees one on each side of Buffy's hips, resting her dripping curls on the ones below. "God, Buffy. Remind me to thank Red for sending me on the lame-ass job."

"Check, avoid Resolve-face and send Willow chocolates for bringing me my daughter's sexy Mama." Pushing Faith's shirt off and onto the floor, Buffy lifted her up and latched her mouth onto Faith's breast.

"Fuck, Buffy." Faith thought they were going slow, but that went right out the window. Groaning, she started grinding herself against Buffy. Her hands gripped Buffy's shoulders before sliding into her hair and massaging her neck. "Wanted this…for so long," she confessed.

Buffy pushed her off before removing her shirt and tossing it to the floor. She let out a low growl, smelling Faith's arousal. "I can make love to you later. I've dreamed about tasting you forever," she confessed. Crawling between Faith's legs, she draped herself over Faith's body so that her legs rested on either side of Faith's face. Then, with a frown of concentration, Buffy drove her tongue deep into the other woman.

No way was this Buffy's first time with a woman. Faith nearly came with that first thrust. Not wanting to get too far behind, though, she sucked Buffy's clit into her mouth and gripped her ass with both hands.

While Buffy flicked her tongue around Faith's internal folds, she reached a hand between them and rolled Faith's clit with her fingers.

Faith moaned into Buffy's hot core. Fuck that felt good. She decided right then and there to give Buffy everything she had. Separating her ass cheeks, she ran one finger around her rosebud while lashing Buffy's clit with her tongue.

Buffy thrashed as she felt Faith's finger teasing at her tightened ring of muscle. If Faith pushed it through, she wasn't sure how her body was going to react. Trying to take control again, she shoved her tongue as deep inside Faith as she could and firmed her touch on Faith's clit.

Giving in to the pleasure from Buffy's tongue, Faith shuddered in climax. As she did, she pressed the tip of her finger into Buffy's ass. Buffy hadn't pulled away. Maybe this was something she enjoyed.

The penetration was enough to send Buffy over the edge, too.

When their collective shuddering stopped, Faith gently rolled Buffy off. "Be right back, baby." She trotted to the bathroom and washed her hands. She peered into the mirror as the water poured over her hands. She looked the same as she had that morning. Everything but her eyes. She leaned in a little. Huh. One round with Buffy and some of the edge was missing. Shrugging, Faith walked back into the bedroom and jumped on the bed, pulling Buffy into her arms. "Now, we're supposed to cuddle, right? I think this is how it goes." She nuzzled Buffy's neck and draped Buffy over her body.

Buffy giggled. "You are a natural cuddler, but next time you head to the bathroom, you might want to put something on. Tory may like you, but seeing you naked might be a bit much." Buffy lifted her head up and kissed Faith. "But it will take until the first time she sees you to sink in. I was mortified when I walked out of the bathroom with just a towel on my head, and she saw me. Of course, she rolled with it and made the not blonde crack."

"Need a house with our own bathroom, B." Stroking Buffy's back, she said, "That way, we can be naked or have tub sex without worrying about the munchkin." God, did she just talk about them having a house together? Buffy was _really_ good in the sack. She had Faith changing things already.

Buffy ran her fingers around Faith's shoulder. "We can have Angel look for one in Cleveland while Tory finishes out the year. I want a big living room, too. That way, we can have a huge ass tree for Christmas, and a yard for a dog." She remembered Faith saying way back when that she always wanted a dog.

"A dog? Really?" Faith sounded about Tory's age. "Man, I've always wanted a dog." Buffy rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. So I'm pathetic." Faith kissed her. "But I'd love a dog."

Buffy sat with her head nestled between Faith's breasts. "Well then, you and Tory can pick it out when we get to Cleveland. It will give you two something to bond over. I really just want my girls happy, and if that means we have a family dog, then we have a family dog. But don't let her name it. I feel bad for her bear Ralph." Buffy chuckled as she remembered the first time they'd been introduced.

Faith chuckled. "Ralph, huh? Girl must have your creativity. I'll have to teach her the way to pick names. I've got a gift for that."

That got her a poke in the ribs.

"None of that, now." Grabbing Buffy's pokey fingers, Faith linked them with hers. "Don't get Angel to look, B. Let's _us_ do it. All three of us. I'm sure it won't hurt if Little T misses a day or two. If you don't want that, we'll go over a weekend. I want the house to be a little about all of us."

Buffy decided to tease back. "Good plan with the house, sexy, and we'll just wait the two weeks for school to be over before heading to Cleveland. That way, Tory can get to know her family while we are looking for a place," she said, kissing Faith's chest. "Are you going to be okay if Tory calls you Mama?"

Faith sat up so fast she almost tossed Buffy off the bed. "Are you out of your fucking mind?" Her heart was pounding so hard, it was about to come out of her chest. "Little T's got a mom. And a dad – even if he can't be around anymore." She wanted…I _needed _Buffy to understand. "I don't want her to forget her dad, B. I can be an aunt, or just plain Faith."

Okay, that was a Faith reaction Buffy should have expected. "Relax, she might never say it." Buffy straightened in Faith's lap. "What do you say we celebrate the Chosen Two with some ice cream?"

This wasn't over, not by a long shot. Still… "I never say no to food, B. You know that. Ice cream sounds good. You want me to pick up the munchkin or is it time for her to be all tucked up and sleeping?"

Buffy kissed Faith again. "I think I can make an exception since her Aunt Faith is here. Plus, you can give her the good news about our dog. Just please wear sweats or a pair of my boxers. I may like my new friend," Buffy murmured, reaching down to run her fingers in Faith's pubic curls, "but Tory doesn't need to meet her yet."

"Hell, B, give me a little credit." Stomping over to the clothes she'd piled on the floor, Faith yanked on her own pants. "I ain't gonna flash your little girl. That's sick." She shook her head and held out her hand. "Come on. If you don't trust me, maybe you should go with me to get Little T."

Goddess, Buffy have Buffybabble, and it was getting her into trouble. She flew off the bed and hugged Faith tightly. "I'm sorry, Faith. I'm trying too hard. Of course, I trust you with my little girl. Go get her while I get dressed." Buffy kissed Faith quickly before grabbing a pair of pajamas to put on.

Faith didn't leave. Instead, she leaned against the closed door and waited. "Gonna take a while to get the kinks out, B. We're good. We'll get Little T together. The Chosen Two, remember?"


	3. Chapter 3

Buffy reached out and gave Faith's butt a smack. "Damn, I was hoping to add a few kinks. I've been out of the love game for awhile, but if you're Pure Faith now, I can do vanilla." Kissing Faith's lips Buffy walked out the door and walked over to knock on Tory's door.

She opened it with a smile. "Hey, Mom, what's up?"

"Your Aunt Faith and I were going to get some ice cream, and she suggested getting you all sugared up. I think she also said something about letting you ride piggyback to the kitchen." Buffy smiled as Tory ran past her. Faith was going to kick her ass.

Faith's head was buzzing. Buffy…and kink. No fucking way. Grinning goofily, she followed Buffy down the hall, mind filled with all kinds of nasty and naughty images. Her personal favorite was Buffy in a schoolgirl outfit, bent over a real school desk while Faith paddled her ass.

That's probably why she didn't see or hear Tory come running. She hit Faith dead on – and they both toppled to the floor. Faith was on the bottom. Her head thunked onto the floor, and she grunted from the impact.

Buffy heard the thunk and went running down the hall. When Buffy got there, Tory was hysterical. "I'm sorry, Aunt Faith. Mom said you were giving me a piggyback ride, and I figured you heard me. I'm sorry," she babbled as Buffy scooped her up knelt next to Faith.

"Goddess, Faith, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to get hurt." Buffy stroked her daughter's back with one hand and Faith's cheek with the other.

"I'm fine," Faith gasped out, trying to smile. Tory was so pale, she thought the little girl might pass out. Faith wasn't letting her know she couldn't breathe and there were little black dots in front of her eyes. "I've got a hard head. Just ask your mom." That was better. She got a smile and a giggle. "Now, I think someone mentioned a piggyback ride." Faith slowly climbed up and turned around, holding back a groan. "Hop on, T. I'm ready for ice cream."

Buffy smelled the Tory coddling from a mile away. Faith was taking it easy tonight. She know Faith was a Slayer. Injuries still hurt, and Faith had taken a hard hit to the head. "Oh, and big surprise, Faith. Tory has your taste in ice cream." They were a lot alike. Then again, Faith and Pike were quite similar except for the Slayerness. Buffy couldn't wait for the rest of the family meet Tory. She just hope she don't get blasted for hiding her.

"Another chocolate fiend?" Faith tilted her head back carefully, grinning at the wide smile Tory gave me. "Huh. We need to set some ground rules then, 'cause I don't share when it comes to chocolate."

When they got to the kitchen, Faith lifted Tory down and slumped onto a stool. Her head throbbed. Whoo hoo. Another concussion. At least this time she wasn't in a cemetery surrounded by vampires. She'd make Buffy play nurse when we got back to the bedroom.

Buffy laughed even harder. "She is a chocolate fiend after your own heart. She gets testy when someone tries to take her chocolate, too." Kissing Faith's head, she then pulled out the three half-gallons of ice cream: two straight up chocolates and her own mint chocolate chip.

"Holy crap,you two are together, aren't you?" Tory asked, passing out spoons. Buffy wanted to say yes, but she didn't want to pressure Faith.

"Your mom let you talk like that?" Faith asked, pinning Tory with an Evil Eye. She'd learned it from Cordelia back in LA.

Damned kid. She just stuck her tongue out and scooped up a huge bite of ice cream.

Using Slayer speed, Faith grabbed her spoon. "I asked you a question, Little T." If she and Buffy were going to do this thing, she wasn't letting her little girl turn out like herself – in any way.

And Faith said she wasn't going to be a Mama, Buffy thought as Tory whispered, "Not really. Sorry, Faith." She was heartbroken at disappointing Faith.

"That's one of the things I have been working on. Like everything else, though, it has been a work in progress." What could Buffy say? She'd just come back into her daughter's life a few months ago.

Winking, Faith let go of Tory's spoon and tapped her nose. "No big, Little T. Just wanting to make sure you didn't end up a potty mouth like your Aunt Willow." Willow was going to kill her, but it would be worth it when Tory asked her about it. Faith knew she would. Kids always asked the damndest questions at the worst time.

"Now, to answer your question…yeah, your mom and I are together." It was hard to say. Faith kept wanting to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. She stuffed some ice cream in her mouth to give her time to get her cool back.

Buffy pulled her stool up behind Faith's. "But Grandpa Giles has the pottiest mouth of them all. I'm thinking of not introducing you to him at all." She tapped Faith's back as she choked on her bite of ice cream while trying not to laugh. "Stick with your Aunts Dawn and Tara; they won't lead you astray."

Tory's face broke out in a huge smile. "Thank you. Faith. I like seeing Mom like this." She leaned forward and gave Faith a chocolate kiss.

"You're welcome, T." Faith waited until she went back to eating to scrub at the sticky lip prints on her face. "I'm sure Grandpa Giles will just love that idea, B," she whispered in a voice she hoped only Buffy could hear. Buffy was liable to wake Ripper if she tried to hide Tory.

Buffy kissed Faith back. She was sure Giles was going to love Tory. "Oh, sweetie, I almost forgot. Your Uncle Xander is a big fat liar. Do not believe a thing that comes out of his mouth, and if Aunt Anya starts to talk, plug your ears." She didn't need her daughter hearing about orgasms this early in her life.

"Exactly how big is my family?" Tory asked as Buffy leaned her head on Faith's back.

"Pretty big, T." Faith sucked on her spoon while she did a mental head count. "Red and Big T." She couldn't call Tara just T anymore. "X-Man and Anya." Somehow, she'd never come up with a good name for her. "Grandpa Giles and Liv, Little D and Junior, and about a thousand crazy mini-Slayers." OK, the last was a slight exaggeration. It was more like a hundred.

Tory dropped her spoon in her ice cream, giggling slightly. "I apologize, Mom. I thought you were making Faith up. Does she have nicknames for Uncle Angel's crew, too?"

Buffy wrapped her arm around Faith while looking at Tory. "Yeah, I'm afraid she does. We all get 'em, even Grandma." That was the only thing she regretted, but Buffy knew Joyce was looking down on them.

Faith leaned back into Buffy. She was hurting. Faith could feel it through their old bond. To lighten things up, she snuck her spoon across the table and took a bite of Tory's ice cream. "You know, I think yours is better than mine." She tried to steal some more.

Watching Tory and Faith steal ice cream out of each other's cartons, Buffy shook her head. "I would tell you both that you could switch cartons, but I would be talking to myself, wouldn't I?"

"Pretty much so, Mom," Tory said as Buffy watched her girls bond.

Tory finally gave up trying to match the Slayer stomach. With a groan, she shoved her carton to Faith and slumped over the table. "I'm gonna explode."

"You better not. I'm tired and I ain't cleaning Little T pieces off the ceiling" Faith stood up and gathered up the empties and the spoons. "We need to get you to bed, munchkin. Your Mom and me need to get up early, too." And talk about the move and what the hell she was going to tell Willow.

"Come on sweetie, I'll tuck you in." Buffy scooped Tory and began rubbing her belly. "Faith, can you make sure everything locked up and turned off?"

"Sure, B." Faith finished cleaning up the kitchen and started a perimeter check. The house was in decent shape. She wiggled locks, checked doors, and turned off all the lights except a couple nightlights she noticed in the kitchen and the hallway. Jogging up the stairs, Faith stuck her head into Tory's room. She was alone and all tucked in. Faith crept over. "Night, T," she whispered, gently kissing her cheek before going to look for Buffy.

Buffy heard Faith going into Tory's room and smiled at the instant bond Faith had with her daughter. She decided to have some fun with Faith by pulling out her floor-length nightgown and stood in front of the bed to wait for the door to open. When it did, she asked softly, "So, Faith, is this okay for me to sleep in?"

"When we're both ninety." Faith shook her head and grabbed the shitty thing. "Right now, we're both young, hot, and not sagging anywhere we shouldn't be. Naked in the word of the day." She thought about that for a second. "We'll keep robes or something close by in case Little T calls, though."

Buffy pointed to the hooks on the door. "We have robes. Naked, huh?" She looked down before looking at Faith. "Someone has some work to do." Tossing her nightgown into the closet, she began to take off Faith's clothes.

Life was good. Faith closed her eyes, head dropping back, as Buffy slowly stripped her. "You have any idea how many fantasies you've made real today, B?" At least four of the Top Ten. "You and me together. Been thinking about that since that first night in the Bronze." Buffy had been so fucking hot back then. Hell, she was still fucking hot.

"Four. Just four?" Buffy finished disrobing Faith. "What else you got in the Top Ten? We have a couple weeks before moving. Maybe I can take out a few more." Standing up, she kissed Faith deeply before scooping her up by her butt and carrying her to the bed.

"Talk about those later, B. Right now, I got other things on my mind." Pulling Buffy on top, Faith wiggled until Buffy's breasts were at mouth level. "Mmmm, I'm gonna paint these in chocolate one day." Oops. She'd said they were going to talk later. Mentally shrugging (that wasn't even in the Top 25), Faith got to work.

Buffy moaned deeply as Faith's mouth and teeth were 'playing' with her breasts. "My top plan is to make you cum until you pass out. I want to see my Faithy all sticky, sweaty, and drooling." Yeah, she was poking Faith's Slayer, but she wanted to see what she could get Faith to do.

"You ain't got what it takes for that, B. I'm way ahead in the experience game." Faith kissed her lightly. "But if you want, I could maybe show you how it's done." She was so asking for it.

"You forget, Faith, I have the same stamina you do. I don't think you have the ovaries to knock me out. But if you do, my vibrator is in the top drawer of my dresser." This was an interesting 'game' they were playing, but at least the ending would be worth it.

"Won't be any knocking, B. Just pleasure. Loads and loads of pleasure." Faith bit at Buffy's breasts. She was right. They were both Slayers, and that meant she didn't have to hold back the way she usually did. Reaching up with her left hand, Faith brutally pinched Buffy's left nipple. It was time to see just how rough Buffy liked it.

Buffy was in a strange place. Even as her moans deepened, something Faith said popped

Into her mind. "Harder," she ordered and then continued. "When you mentioned Dawn and

Kennedy earlier…does that mean they finally got together?"

Faith didn't answer. What the fuck? She was chewing on Buffy's nipples and she wanted to know if Kennedy and Dawn were doing the horizontal hula? She must be doing something wrong. Faith kept working on Buffy's breast but took her free hand and started rolling and pulling on Buffy's clit.

"Oh, yes, right there," Buffy moaned as she slipped a leg between Faith's and started grinding into her wetness. This wasn't going to be one-sided. This was a partnership, in all things.

Faith heard her words dimly. Most of her concentration had shifted to her leg, though, and the way it was mashing her clit. Fuck, it felt good. She gave up being creative. For now, she'd stick with what was working.

Faith wasn't fighting the dual pleasuring, so Buffy reached down and started working Faith's nipples with her fingers. Faith had a head start, and Buffy was at a disadvantage with her breasts in Faith's mouth.

Faith moaned against Buffy's breasts. Her fingers felt fantastic. Faith was going to have to get her to play a little harder, though. She liked it fast and rough.

It seemed like Faith thought she was going to drive. Buffy decided to poke the Slayer again, even if it meant only one-sided pleasuring. "Wow, I never I thought I'd see the day that The Dark Slayer would become a light weight." She was begging for a good fucking; she needed it. It had been far too long.

"Keep pushing, B," Faith warned her, "and you might get more than you bargained for." Buffy might think she wanted Faith to fuck her, but…Faith wasn't convinced she was ready for her brand of hard loving. She did slide her hand from Buffy's clit and drive three fingers into her, though. If she wanted Faith inside, she was right there.

Buffy didn't know how much Faith had been told, but fucking Spike had taught her that she loved it a little rough. From someone she loved, it would be so much better. She grabbed Faith by the hair. "I don't know if you heard about my downward spiral two years ago, but Spike used to fuck me hard and fast. I wasn't in a good place, but the Slayer still liked the ferocity of it. Come on, Faith. I want a nice hard fucking from someone I love."

Just the thought of Buffy and Spike…Faith closed her eyes, clenching her teeth to keep from vomiting. She was not letting Buffy compare her to Spike in any way. Faith might like rough, but she never played with a reluctant partner. "B…" Her name squeaked out between Faith's teeth. Then the rest of Buffy's words hit her. Someone she loved. Buffy loved her. A little of the cramping in her stomach eased. She wasn't saying Faith was like Spike. Faith was better. This was her chance to get rid of some of Buffy's worst memories.


	4. Chapter 4

"Yes," Buffy growled as Faith flipped them over. She had been worried that she had screwed up again, but something must have clicked for Faith. "That's it; mark me as yours." Buffy wanted to be covered in Faith's love bites, so she could show them off tomorrow.

"Oh, I'll mark you, B…" Faith latched onto Buffy's right breast, sucking for all she was worth as she pistoned her fingers in and out with Slayer speed and force. "You're mine, Buffy. Mine," she vowed. "You've been mine since the day we met." Actually, it was more like Faith had been Buffy's, but she wasn't going to correct herself right in the middle of her big scene.

Faith was right about that, and Buffy might have been less Cordy-like and not cared what people would have thought. They could have been together the whole time. "All yours," she said, feeling their old link start to open up as Faith's moans grew louder. She couldn't wait until Faith saw the marks left by the Master, Angel, and Dracula.

On the next thrust, Faith added a fourth finger and moved her mouth to Buffy's other breast. If Buffy wanted her mark, she'd make sure there were a lot of them. She'd be polka dotted in the morning.

"Give it all to me, Faith." Buffy knew that Faith only needed to add her thumb, and she wanted Faith to pump her to a climax…or twelve. The desire was building fast and quick as she started to feel Faith's emotions through their link.

"You have it all, B." It was easier to say this while they were caught up in the act, so to speak. "Every little part of me." Buffy was the only person Faith had ever trusted enough to show the good and the bad. She tucked her thumb into her palm before shoving the whole thing deeply inside Buffy and slowly rotating her hands so the knuckles brushed Buffy's g-spot.

Buffy's body arched at Faith's first thrust and her moans came louder and faster. "Get your wetsuit out, Faith. You are about to get soaked." It was going to take much more before her body blew up.

"Bring it on, B," Faith taunted just to get her going. She wanted to see Buffy come apart in her arms. She pulled her hand almost all the way out and then slammed it back in. Faith's Slayer howled in her head. For once, she didn't fight the voice. She bit into Buffy's chest, feeling blood coat her tongue.

Feeling Faith's teeth pierce her chest pushed Buffy over the edge. She opened her mouth to scream. Nothing came out as she blew into a million pieces as her body spasmed through an intense climax.

Faith stayed right where she was, holding on with teeth and her free hand as Buffy thrashed around. She was fucking awesome. Faith wanted to tape this or something so she could watch it whenever Buffy wasn't around.

Buffy flopped back onto the bed, spent but awake. "Holy fuck, Faith. That was phenomenal. Come up here, baby; I want to kiss my present and future…" Buffy wanted to say, "…and the future 'father' of my kids." But she wasn't scaring Faith with that announcement - yet.

Crawling up the bed, Faith licked the blood and sweat on Buffy's skin. "Yeah. Can we do that every night?" She'd bring up the video camera some other time. Buffy's lips were soft and warm under hers. She moaned and stroked and sucked on Buffy's tongue.

Letting out a raspy giggle, Buffy said, "We can take turns, but yeah, this is what I want for my life. The rest of my life. _Our_ life while we raise Tory and..." She needed to at least gauge Faith's thoughts on more kids. Buffy would love to have a raven-haired cutie running their house.

"And what, B? A dog named Ralph?" Faith teased. The rest of their lives…That sounded so fucking good. She moved so Buffy lay resting on her chest and ran her hand up and down Buffy's back.

Buffy looked deep into Faith's eyes. "Well, besides Ralph, I was hoping to have a little raven haired cutie of our own. I'm not pressuring you, and I don't mean to scare you. But I would love to have a little girl that was half me and half you." Leaning up, she kissing Faith.

"What?" Faith couldn't have heard right. "You want a little me? Wasn't one me enough?" She tried to stay funny. If she really thought about this, Faith would freak. She knew all about violence and abuse. Didn't the experts (whoever they were) say that was hereditary?

Buffy kissed Faith again "I would love a little you, but not at the risk of losing you. We can just load up on dogs and cats." She smiled while stroking Faith's face trying to settle her back down. "So, what should I expect when Willow calls?"

Buffy was upset about the kid. Faith didn't want her upset. But now wasn't the time for that conversation. "Let me handle, Red. You know how she gets when she thinks you've held out on her. We don't want some black haired version showing up on the doorstep." She'd figure out what to say when the phone started ringing in Cleveland.

"You know, we could ignore her until she showed up at our doorstep, and we answered the door naked." Breast girl or not, shy Willow would come back fast at seeing her best friend and Faith without clothes. "This is my fault. You shouldn't have to explain it to her. If you do happen to call, tell her we'll send Angel's plane, and she can come see what the holdup is."

Fuck Willow. Faith was tired of dancing to her tune. She'd been all up in Faith's face for weeks until she agreed to come out here. "We'll see what happens, B." She was pretty sure Willow would call soon. Until then, she'd enjoy her Scooby-free time with Buffy. "If Red goes postal, _then_ we'll offer the plane."

"Deal. So, Miss Lehane, what would you like to do now? Sleep, go for a jog, watch a movie, plan out tattoos and body piercings? What?" Buffy avoided mentioning making love just to bug Faith.

She had a lot to learn about Faith. "Sleep sounds good. It was a long day, you know?" Faith played her trump card. "My head still kinda hurts, too. Don't want to get too active – maybe we can jog tomorrow?"

Buffy kissed Faith's lips tenderly before popping off her. "Well then," she said, picking Faith off the bed and holding her against her chest. Buffy quickly pulled down the sheets and plopped Faith back into bed. "I love you, Faith Lehane." She kissed Faith deeply before laying her head on her shoulder.

Damn. Buffy was beating Faith at her own game. It didn't matter. Faith could wait. They'd taken the edge off earlier and her head did hurt a little. Closing her eyes, Faith wrapped her arms around Buffy. It felt so good. Buffy's heart beat pounded against Faith and her breath caressed her neck.

***

Buffy officially hated the alarm. Of course, she and Faith had been up late. "Sleep, my raven princess. I'll get Tory off to school and come back to keep you warm." Although, Faith's beast was liable to wake up when she started making breakfast.

She put on a pair of pajamas before heading downstairs. Buffy would never forget the first time she'd scared Tory with her stealth and ability to see in the dark. She'd thought Tory was going to grab onto the ceiling in surprise. Buffy started on their feast of eggs, bacon, sausage and pancakes since there were now two Slayers living in the house.

If Buffy and Faith were going to try the future, Faith needed to be downstairs helping her out. They were a family, and she wanted to be there for breakfast. Faith dragged on her dirty clothes from yesterday (shopping had to be on the list of to dos today) and trotted down the stairs.

When Faith walked into the kitchen (in yesterday's clothes), Buffy put her hand up to stop her. "Go find something to wear and throw those clothes in the washer. We will go shopping after they are dry, and no dawdling." Oh good lord. That was very Mom-ish. She distinctly remembered hearing things like that from her own mother.

Rolling her eyes, Faith mumbled, "Yes, ma'am," and took the stairs three at a time. She found a pair of Buffy's sweats. They'd maybe come to her knees, but all the important parts would be covered. Shirts were harder. Finally, Faith chose a long shirt – probably a sleep shirt. Tight, but not whorishly so. She didn't know where the laundry was so she bundled up her things and took them to the kitchen.

"Nice capri sweats, Aunt Faith." Tory giggled, seeing Faith in her mom's clothes. "I'll show you where the laundry room is. I hope I don't have to teach you how to use it, too." Taking Faith's hand, she led Faith into the laundry room before hopping up on the dryer. "Thank you for last night, Aunt Faith. Mom hasn't said anything to me, but I can tell that she has missed you. She never smiles like she is now." Tory leaned forward to kiss Faith's cheek. "Do I need to explain the cycles and everything?"

It was good to be Faith. She had a cocky kid thinking she didn't know how to use a washing machine. "I think I can handle it, Little T. Been doing my own laundry since before your mom hung up her pompons." Sticking her tongue out at Tory, Faith dropped the clothes in the cylinder, poured in a capful of detergent, and turned the machine on. "Let's go eat, munchkin. I'm starving this morning." She grabbed the young girl and tossed her over her shoulder before screaming like a banshee and running to the kitchen.

Buffy heard her girls before she saw them, and from the sound of it, Faith was carrying Tory in an improper fashion. They came in, and Tory gave Buffy a look of 'Help Me'. Buffy figured she had asked for it, though, and didn't rescue her. "Good morning, sweeties, can you set the table? Breakfast is almost served. Oh, and, Tory, show Faith the proper way to make 'my' juice."

Aw, man. That was cold. Faith was here with her kid and Buffy makes that comment. She so wanted to tell Buffy that she knew how to make Buffyjuice. Dropping Tory onto the ground, Faith concentrated on _not_ saying what was in her head as she grabbed utensils and napkins out of the drawers. When she was done, Tory dragged her to some kind of machine on the counter.

"This is how Mom likes her juice, Aunt Faith." The little cutie skipped to the fridge and got a bowl of fruit. Faith saw bananas, strawberries and some green things she didn't recognize. Tory came back and stood on her toes, putting the fruit in the top of the…thing. "Pick up that." A tiny finger pointed to a piece of plastic on the counter.

Faith did as instructed.

"Push it against the fruit." It took Faith a couple of tries to figure out what Tory meant. When she got it right, she hit a button and the machine came to life. Nasty looking crap poured into a glass under the right side.

Buffy couldn't believe Faith thought she would go to a dirty place. Then again…she could have worded it differently. "Juicers are a great machine, Faith," she announced, plattering up the foods before taking them to the table. "Tory, you make your plate first, so your aunt and I can fight over the rest."

"Won't be much of a fight," Faith said with a smirk as Tory dished up a plate. "You've been out of the business for a while, B. Me? I train every day." OK, she lifted weights and shouted at the new kids while _they _trained. "I'd so kick your…" Faith caught herself just in time. "…butt."

"Nice save, Faith." Buffy watched Tory put her breakfast together before splitting up the rest evenly. The whole fighting thing was a lie. If Faith was still hungry, I would cook her some more food, "Tor, your aunt and I are going to be doing some shopping. Is there anything you need me

to pick up for you?"

Tory finished chewing her bite of food before smiling. "Could you pick me up another sketch pad? My last one is almost full. Thanks Mom."

"You draw?" Man, Faith really, really liked this kid. "Me, too." She glared a little at Buffy, daring her to comment. "You got anything I could see? You take any classes?" OK, she was getting a little intense. Faith backed off, mind racing. She needed a gift for Tory, a sort of 'thanks for letting me into your family' thing. If she was really into art, Faith knew exactly what to buy.

"Then I guess I'll have to set up a tour of the Tory Gallery when I get home from school. And, Aunt Faith, don't let Mom fool you; she has a hidden talent. She is just waiting to hear back for the publisher." Tory announced as Buffy blushed deeply.

She stared at her food. It hadn't been that long since she'd sent the first version of her children's book to a few publishers.

"Publisher?" Faith's head was spinning. "What are you publishing, B?" Come on. Come on, she begged in her head. _Let me in, Buffy_.

Buffy heard the nervousness in Faith's voice and instinctively knew the cause. It wasn't that she was hiding toe book… She was just not telling anybody for superstitious reasons. She looked into Faith's eyes, though, and said, "I might have a gig as a children's book author if the publisher likes my work."

Faith was around the table in a flash. Picking Buffy up, she whirled her around. "Of course, they'll like it." She pulled her to her chest and danced them around the table. "Little T and me will take you out on the town when you get that acceptance letter."

Wrapping myself around Faith, Buffy smiled. "Thank you for the support, Faith." She kissed her deeply while ignoring the blatant gagging sounds coming behind Tory. "I'll remember that the first time you bring someone home." Buffy knew it was going to be awhile, but the threat still had merit.

"That's right, Little T. Just wait. I'll be sitting right next to your date, sharpening my knife." Faith set Buffy down on the ground and hopped back around to finish her breakfast. "You and me, munchkin. The Tory Gallery the second you get home. Don't be late."

Tory let out a giggle. "Not going to happen. Mom doesn't let Auny Cordy take me home anymore. One long trip to the mall fixed that. I could have sworn Aunt Cordy was going to end up a piñata."

"I swear Faith. It wasn't that bad, honest." Buffy grimaced at the memory. It had been the one time she regretted letting the LA gang in on her secret.

"You tried to aerate Queen C over a trip to the mall?" Faith shook my head. "Man, you're like Mean Mom or something, B. Give the kid a break." She winked at Tory. "You ready for school, Little T? Need a lunch or some cash?" Did kids have to buy lunches at school? It had been one hell of a long time since she'd been inside one.

Okay, Mama Faith and Aunt Faith are starting to morph into the same person. Buffy wisely didn't say that out loud. "She goes to private school, Faith. She gets her lunches there." Then, in a need to explain the thing with Cordelia, she mumbled, "In my defense, it was my first week here. Cordy got off lucky."

"Private school." Faith stared at Buffy. "Is that kinda like a school for rich kids?" She mock frowned at Tory. "Is there something you ain't telling me, Little T? You loaded?" Not that she gave a flying fuck. It was just one more thing to tease Buffy about later. Here Willow was freaking about Buffy being holed up in a roach motel like the Sunnydale Arms and eating out of trash cans.

Tory smirked at Faith. "Yeah, I am, and Mom is mooching on me." When she noticed Faith's eyes narrow, she hurried on. "I have a trust. Mom is getting her money from Uncle Angel. Why? Do you need me to spot you some money for your shopping trip?"


	5. Chapter 5

"You are evil," Faith told Tory with a big pout. "You musta been watching your Mom or something. She used to be just like that, too." She pushed her lip out farther. To work on their collective guilt, Faith picked up her plate and slunk to the counter where she started cleaning up the detritus of breakfast. "I got enough for a pair of pants and a shirt." And a whole lot more since Willow had insisted the New Council start paying her for her work. She'd save that – and the news of Buffy's salary – for another time.

Those two were too much. As Buffy helped Faith clean up, she turned toward Tory. "Sweetie, you have your books, bag, and pepper spray?"

Tory gave Buffy her classic eye roll for the over-mothering. "Check, check, and check. Just because you like girls now, Mom, doesn't make boys evil, you know."

Buffy frowned. Tory was right about that… but then again, she was wrong, too. For now, though, she let it go. "Since we're all set, let's go, girls; I need to get Faith some clothes so she isn't washing daily." She gave Faith's ass a swat as she passed by.

Faith squealed in mock pain and ran ahead of them both. "You gotta save me, T. I don't know if it's safe for me to be here alone with your mom. Did you see that? She _hit_ me."

Damned kid. Faith should have known she would take Buffy's side. "Like you didn't deserve it."

"I didn't do anything." Faith looked at Tory with her most innocent expression.

Tory just laughed as they headed for the car. "Then it was for whatever you are going to do. Mom does the same thing to Uncle Angel, but he gets punched in the arm. Oh, Mom, you have to tell Faith about how he was a puppet and got torn apart by his werewolf girlfriend."

Buffy snickered as she remembered walking into Wolfram and Hart and found Lorne stitching Angel back together.

Faith had other things on her mind, however. She stared at the car with a deer in the headlights look as Buffy went to the driver's side.

"Are you getting in, or are you going to run beside us?" Buffy asked.

Maybe Faith should tell Buffy that she had her license. She didn't, though. Despite her belief that running would be safer than riding, Faith clambered into the vehicle. "I'm cool," Faith said, pushing away all the stories Willow had told about Buffy's driving abilities. If Buffy wrecked, at least they'd go together. Faith might look like a clown in her borrowed Buffy clothes, but it would be worth it.

Tory hopped into the back seat, and Faith heard the seatbelt click into place.

Grumbling under her breath, Faith put her on, too. Being a role model so sucked.

"Relax, Faith." Buffy patted her leg. "If I couldn't drive, my daughter wouldn't be in the back seat. Wes is a good teacher. He doesn't yell like Angel, and he doesn't flinch like Gunn. So once I got in the car with him, it came naturally. But that doesn't mean we can't screw with the others." Giggling at Faith's expression, Buffy pulled into traffic and head toward Tory's ivy-covered school.

Faith grinned. "Hell, yeah. Red still goes pale when she talks about you getting in some accident." Trying to turn in her seat a little, Faith cursed the seat belt. "So Wes has calmed down? Wicked. The last time I saw him, he was all scruffy and sporting this little goatee kinda thing. I kept looking for the lace shirt and the tight leather pants for his costume."

Buffy smiled when she heard Faith describe Wesley like that. "Not to mention he has a pregnant wife now, too. Fred is close to popping, and this one," Buffy pointed her thumb toward the backseat, "can't wait. She really wants to be the oldest kid for the next generation of Scoobies." She wink at Tory in the mirror.

"Sorry, T. You gotta come up with your own names." Faith shook my head. "When they start adding on or redoing the old stuff, it just gets lame."

Tory looked at Faith like she'd run over Ralph – if they had a Ralph.

Hoping to get rid of that look, Faith flashed Tory her best smile. "Just wait, Little T. Once we get you hooked up with your mom's crew, you'll see what I mean. Then we'll sit down together and start finding just the right name."

"Mom says Kennedy is Scrappy-Doo. Do you agree?"

Thankfully, Buffy had to concentrate on driving so she didn't burst into laughter.

Faith snorted. "You bet, Little T. Not only does Junior act like Scrappy, she's almost as tall." Man, she'd love to see Dawn's face if her niece ever made that comment with Kennedy in the room. They'd have one hell of a Sister Throwdown in seconds.

"What about the rest of them? Who are they?" Tory pressed.

"Uh…" Faith shot a glance at Buffy, but she was studiously examining the steering wheel. "Well, I guess your Uncle Xander is Scooby. He likes treats and he's got a really goofy laugh. Aunt Red is Velma. Smart and kinda irritating, only without the glasses. Your mom is definitely Daphne."

"'Cause she's pretty?" Tory wanted to know.

"Yep. That's right. And…I guess Grandpa Giles is Fred. He's pretty uptight about his clothes and the way he looks." That just left Shaggy. I floundered for a second. "And your Aunt Dawn is Shaggy. The way she watches Junior and her need to eat anything…"

"But how come Kennedy gets to be a named Scooby and you and Aunt Tara don't?" Tory asked as Buffy reached over to Faith to let her know she would answer that one.

"Sweetie, Faith and Tara fell in love with Scoobies, so that's why they don't get their own names, and your Aunt Kennedy is Scrappy because she tends to be yappy and annoying. Thankfully, she isn't always like that." Buffy pulled into the school parking lot as Tory leaned forward to give her a hug and kiss – before repeating the gesture with Faith.

Then, like a shot, Tory was out of the vehicle and running for the building.

Buffy and Faith sat, watching, until Buffy gave her daughter one last wave before reaching over and stroking Faith's thigh. "Where to, girlfriend?" Since she didn't know if Faith was still the leather girl she had been.

"Your place, B. I ain't setting foot anywhere in your clothes. I look like some mutant pastel smurf." Faith jerked back when Buffy tried to pinch her. "Hey! Watch the road or I'll tell Red I believe all her Buffy Driving stories." She relaxed a little when both of Buffy's hands were on the wheel again. "Just a pitstop. I'm sure my things are mostly dry by now. I'll change and we can hit the stores. I got an idea for a little something for T while we're out."

Buffy smiled as she drove back to the house. "You might want to watch yourself, Faith. Mama Faith is starting to show more than Aunt Faith is." Not wanting Faith to freak at that, Buffy took her hand and interlocked their fingers. The trip was much quieter without Tory, and Buffy's next question was louder than she intended. "So, do you need any money?"

Damn. Faith had wanted to keep that a surprise a little longer. "Nah, B. I'm good." She hesitated as Buffy pulled into the drive. "So are you, you know. Even if the book thing doesn't work. The Council's paying you."

Buffy put the car in park before resting her head on the steering wheel and starting to cry. The Council was paying her? Now? After all of the worrying? It was too much. Words poured out of Buffy – along with the tears. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't tell anybody I was leaving. But I never thought I was going to see Tory again. When we got to LA after the First, I knew it was a second chance. I didn't mean to hide out; I just wanted to get Mom Buffy in order before becoming Buffy the Vampire Slayer again."

Double damn. Faith hopped out of the car and raced to Buffy's side. "Hey, B. No need for tears." Not completely understanding how they'd gotten from money to Buffy's reasons for hauling ass away from the Scoobies, Faith pulled Buffy out and into her arms. "The Council's way different than before, and with all the little baby Slayers running around, you don't ever have to be a Slayer again," she said, going with the one part of their conversation was comfortable with.

Buffy's continued sobs and tears were tearing Faith apart. She fumbled with the front door, finally breaking the lock to get it open.

"You can settle down with me and Little T. No vamps or demons or research parties." Faith vowed to make damned sure Willow and the gang knew the score. If she saw even one person there on "official" business, they'd think Dark Faith was back.

Buffy burrowed into Faith's lap when she sat down on the sofa, but Faith's mention of settling down was slowly calming her. She lifted her head up, eyes puffy. "So when Tory comes to us at the last minute saying she needs six dozen cookies, you will stay up all night and help me?" To entice Faith to agree, she added, "I'll even let you eat some along the way." Wiping her eyes and nose on a tissue she ripped from a box on the end table, Buffy kissed Faith on the cheek.

"I'll be right there, B. Always." And not just for cookies. "I'll do cupcakes and costumes, too. Whatever you and Little T need." She stroked her thumb over Buffy's wet cheek. "It'll be OK, baby. I promise. I ain't been a real Slayer since we sunk Sunnydale. I mostly growl at the babies and let Red send me on mercy missions. Those'll stop the second we get back. I'm done traveling. It's just the three of us from now on."

Buffy gave Faith her best puppy dog look. "I've talked to some of the Wiccans that work with Angel, and there is a spell for two women to have kids. Are you sure you wouldn't want to dote over a plump Buffy?" She knew she was pushing, but… It didn't keep Buffy from smirking as she kissed Faith again.

"Let's get your current bump moved and happy, B. Then we'll talk about spells and diaper changing, OK?" Faith wasn't sold on the idea of having a Little Her. But she wasn't going to just turn Buffy down. Not if that's what she really wanted. "You know that I'll dote on you with or without the kid, right?" Buffy had to know it was _her_ that had gotten to Faith's heart.

Buffy kissed Faith more deeply this time. "That street goes both ways, Faith, and I can't wait for my first bout of sniffles." She leaned back finally. "Now let me go cover the puffies while you get dressed so we can shop. Would you like to drive?"

"You can drive." Faith grinned and hopped up, setting Buffy on her feet. "You did alright earlier. I guess I can survive a trip to the mall." Not waiting for the screams, Faith took off for the laundry room. Her pants were still damp, but not too bad. They'd dry from body heat in no time. She dragged everything on then almost skipped up the stairs.

While Buffy worked on repairing her puffy eyes, she decided to try getting a little revenge. Tory wasn't around to be embarrassed…She unbuttoned her blouse and tossed it on the bed before removing her bra.

Buffy wasn't back when Faith got to the living room. She looked at the stairs…Should she? She wanted to. Faith also knew if she went upstairs, though, there would be no shopping today. Lots of sweating and screaming. No shopping. Instead, she looked around and decided to do some cleaning. The house wasn't a mess, but it was clear a kid lived there. A quick search netted a dust rag and some Pledge.

Buffy padded down the stairs after putting her blouse back on – and saw Faith cleaning. "Damn, can I talk you into a French maid outfit? I'd like to see your ass in one of those frilly skirts. Sorry it took me so long, I had some underwear problems." Not saying anything more, she went to the closet to put on her leather jacket so her nipples wouldn't show too if they got excited

"Anything I can help with, B? I'm an expert in underwear solutions." Faith smirked and straightened, admiring Buffy's body. "Going commando. Wow. Never thought I'd live to see that." She made sure to brush against Buffy as she went to put the cleaning supplies away. When she came back, Faith wrapped an arm around Buffy's waist, putting her hand in Buffy's back pocket. "Costumes are good, but we'll have to find a place for the munchkin to stay the night. Don't want her waking up when you have to chase me around the kitchen table."


	6. Chapter 6

Buffy leaned into Faith and decided to tease further. "We'll get you that outfit for when we introduce Tory to the gang, Faith. That way, she can make the rounds with her new family. Just keep in mind that I won't have to chase you. The hired help doesn't have a choice when it comes to sleeping with the Mistress of the house. All I have to do is crook my finger and you'll be helping me strap up so I can fuck you silly." Bumping her hip into Faith, she continued. "Oh, that's right; you're already silly." She kissed Faith's cheek as they headed back to the car. "So, can I ask what you are buying Tory?"

It took a minute for Faith to remember what she was getting. Buffy had her reeling over the strapping and fucking comment. "Uh…I'm uh…" Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to concentrate. "Some art supplies. Good pencils and sketch paper." Faith hopped into the car. "Maybe a canvas and some paints if she's into that, too." She'd had to make do with pieces of notebook paper scrounged out of the trash. It was going to be first class all the way for Tory.

Buffy had to laugh. "Oh boy, are you in trouble when you show them to her. I hope you are standing on both feet because she is going to cling onto you." Buffy climbed behind the wheel. "So, lover, what kind of clothes are we picking up?"

"Nothing special, unless you think I'll need something fancy." Faith watched Buffy pull back out onto the street. "I'm pretty much a jeans and T girl. No more leather." It always gave her a creepy feeling when she wore them. Like maybe she'd gotten lost in Dark Faith again. "Don't do dresses if I can help it. Although, Red's threatening to make me get one for her and Big T's wedding."

Buffy reached over and patted her lap. "Tory and I will wear the dresses. You can wear a sexy pant suit, something tight and black." She smiled as she wove through traffic, heading for the mall.

"Good luck convincing Red. I think she's the main reason they ain't set a date yet. Girl can't make a decision on anything." Faith grinned. "Poor Blondie just sits there and smiles, like it don't matter. Guess she figures they've got all the benefits of marriage so the ceremony ain't a big deal."

They pulled into a huge lot, filled with cars and Faith bit back chuckles as Buffy carefully drove up and down each aisle, looking for that one perfect spot. "Just park, B. We're Slayers. I think we can manage to make it to the door without needing oxygen or a wheelchair."

Giving Faith a crusty look, Buffy continued her hunt. "Yep, that sounds like Tara. But cut Willow some slack. I think I might be the problem. If I know my oldest and dearest, she's holding out until I return to the fold. Maybe I should ask her to come to LA; that way she'll know what is going on." She finally pulled into a spot before climbing out and bouncing on her feet, waiting for Faith.

"Nope." Faith was quick to disagree. "We decided on a no-Willow plan. If she suddenly shows up, we deal. Until then, I want you and the munchkin all to myself. Red sent me to find you. I did." She just hadn't checked in and told Willow that. "Big T's willing to wait. If you're the holdup, then they can set a date the second you show up in Cleveland."

They walked in, almost hand in hand. The place was monstrous, Faith thought. Two…three floors of wall to wall shops, people, and noise. How the hell did people know where to go? The Hyperion wasn't this big.

"Mmm, my very own bodyguard. I think I'll keep you, but you have another Summers who is starting to love you, too." Leading Faith into the arts supply store, Buffy waved her hand. "Okay, Faith, this is your baby," she said, knowing this was just the beginning of the Tory spoiling.

The fey man running the place probably thought Faith was the biggest bitch on the planet. He might have been right. She knew what she wanted and all his fawning and hand waving wasn't going to convince her to pay for crap. "I want the whole set of those." Faith pointed to a wooden box. "Not just that partial one."

He started to say something and Faith let a little Slayer out.

"The full set. Now." She grinned when he almost squealed and scurried into the back. "Quick, B. Grab a couple of those canvases." Faith pointed so Buffy knew the ones she meant. She pulled a quality starter set of oil paints from a shelf and made sure the brushes weren't some crappy material.

Mmm, Buffy liked forceful Faith. Grabbing what Faith pointed out, she watched Faith start harassing Carl, the salesman, again. The poor guy didn't who he was dealing with. "Ease up, Faith. I think Carl is about to wet himself." She chuckled a little, knowing her comment would be ignored.

Faith smirked. She was more than likely right. She doubted this guy got shoppers who knew the good stuff from the crap. Once he came back with the right collection of pencils, she scanned the pile one last time. "An easel," Faith mumbled. She'd forgotten the easel. How was Tory going paint if she didn't have something to prop the canvas on?

Carl was learning. He jumped from behind the counter and grabbed a decent one. Not the best, but…it was just an easel. Faith decided cut him some slack.

The total didn't even make her blink. Faith made good money yelling at the babies. More than she could earn with a real job, for sure. And since she wasn't spending hundreds of dollars covering her ass in cowhide, Faith had money to burn. Huh…Maybe she should talk to Willow when they got back about putting some of the green away for Tory.

Buffy leaned in and whispered into Faith's ear, "Maybe you should ask Carl to hold this, so we aren't lugging it around the mall. I was planning on getting some 'nice' things for me to wear for you, and I don't want you to be distracted with carrying the bags…" She wiggled her eyebrows while as she stroked Faith's hand with her thumb.

Faith gave Carl the Evil Eye. "Can you do that? Keep this stuff safe until we get back?"

He stuttered but finally agreed. She helped him get everything settled in the storage room and pressed a tip into his hand. After all, she'd given him a pretty hard time.

Striding back to Buffy, Faith grabbed her hand. "Let's get to the 'good stuff' then, B. Whatcha got in mind? Lace? Silk? Leather?"

Buffy gave her a wink. "Those are surprises, Miss Lehane, but I could be talked into a modeling session before picking up Tory." She pulled Faith out of the store and steered them toward a regular clothing store. "Lace is good for nighties that are barely on long enough to matter; silk is perfect for underwear, and leather is only worn when I'm saddling up for a ride on my favorite pony." Buffy nipped on Faith's neck.

Faith's body exploded. Why people didn't scream and run for the nearest fire hose was beyond her. "Pony?" she choked out. Oh, God. Please… Faith could almost feel Buffy sitting on her back, tapping a crop against her hip or ass. She wanted to shove Buffy into the nearest leather store and get down to buying the right props. Then she'd call Willow. Have her come here. She could play with Tory while Faith played more grown up games in the bedroom with Buffy.

"Like that thought do ya?" Buffy purring a little. "Can you feel my wet core on your back while I ride you? Think about how sexy I would look in assless chaps and a leather vest."

"Ain't thinking I want to do, B." Faith had to get some control back or they would end up getting thrown out of the mall. "Want to be doing…and feeling." She pulled Buffy behind a rack of shirts and kissed her with all the desire she felt. Then Faith jerked away and stalked across the store to give her hormones a chance to recover.

Buffy nearly skipped over to look at the selection of underwear as Faith went to get some 'day' clothes. She kept an eye on the other Slayer as she picked out matching sets in blue, red, and black number. Buffy snuck to the checkout to pay, hoping to hide her purchases until later. She wanted to surprise Faith when they got home.

Luckily, Faith was too busy searching for something she could live with to notice Buffy's activities. The clothes on the racks and shelves boring. At least Buffy hadn't dragged her into a Gap store. She finally pulled three pairs of faded 501s from a display. At least with those, Faith wouldn't have to do laundry every day. Shirts next. Three white t-shirts and three over shirts. Faith did at least vary those colors. Blue, red, and a wicked deep-green.

That's when Buffy suddenly reappeared. "Mmm, denim-covered lover. Buffy like. I have my goodies, too." She shook her bag at Faith. "While we are here, is there anything else you need? This place has everything you can think of."

"I'm good." Faith smiled and headed for the check out with Buffy right behind me. Once she paid, it was time to retrieve Tory's things.

Carl nearly ran when he saw them.

Snorting at his wide-eyed look, Faith guessed the tip hadn't been enough. Oh, well. She'd tried being nice. Just to let him know how bad things might have been, she made him help drag all the stuff to the car. "We need a bigger ride," Faith grumped as she squeezed into the front seat. The canvasses were angled between the seats and one of them kept trying to poke her in the face.

Buffy giggled at Faith. "My ride has always done me well, but maybe we can get something more 'butch' when we get to Cleveland. We'll leave this at the house for when we come back for vacations." She kissed Faith quickly and then headed for home. "How about a fashion show when we get home? Or…" Buffy pretended to pout. "Did you have other plans?"

"I want the show, B." Faith leaned carefully over and kissed Buffy's cheek. "Just give me a few to call Red. Let her know you ain't living on the streets. And…uh…" She ducked my head, blushing. Blushing! "Thought maybe we could start talking about houses and moving crap. Don't want to be packing at the last minute."

That sounded like a plan, but something told Buffy it wouldn't go off as easily as they thought. "Okay, but no bitching if things don't go like you want them to." Of course, Buffy was banking on the fact that Faith _would_ get through the conversation with Willow. A fashion show would get rid of the headache she was sure to have…and Buffy anticipated that, one see-thru nightgown into the display, they'd end up sweaty and tangled in the bed.

"This is me, babe. I fly by the seat of my pants." Well, she used to. Faith was sure it would come back to her. She followed Buffy into the house and they spent a few minutes getting Tory's surprise all set up. It looked good. "Hope she likes it. It'd be cool if she wanted to be an artist." Just like Faith had wanted be – a long time ago. "Maybe she can do the artwork for you books. Mom and daughter teamwork."

Faith took one last look and knew she couldn't put it off any longer. "Give me a few?" she begged, pulling her cell phone from her pocket.

Giving Faith the space she thought she needed, Buffy ran upstairs with her bag and stripped quickly. She tried on the red lingerie first and examined herself in the full-length mirror hanging on the closet door. Oh yeah. Faith's plan was so screwed. She wandered into the bathroom to wait.

Faith wasn't having nearly so much fun. In fact, she considered throwing the phone into the wall. But then she'd have to explain the bits and pieces to Tory. And Faith wasn't ready for Tory to see Moody Faith. She wanted Tory to like and respect her first. Damned Willow and her need to know everything. She'd barely managed to keep from spilling Buffy's secret. And somehow Willow had known Faith was brushing her off. She gave them twelve hours until Willow was on the doorstep. Growling, she shoved the phone back into her pocket and went hunting for Buffy. Maybe some quality time would help get her back to happy.

From the doorway, Buffy watched Faith come in. "Sit in the chair, sweetie," she called out. Taking a deep breath, Buffy threw back her shoulders and sashayed out and strolled right up to Faith. She paused then turned slowly, showing off her purchase. "So, what do you think?"

"I think I'm one lucky bitch." God, Buffy was so hot. All that soft, tanned skin. Faith's palms burned just imagining touching her. "Come here, B. Straddle my legs. I want a very private lap dance."

Buffy did as requested, groaning softly as she rolled her hips, grinding her body into Faith's. She also leaned forward and rubbed her lace covered breasts all over Faith's face. "Like this?" she asked, sounding like a two-pack-a-day smoker.

"Just like that," Faith agreed. Her breath rasped from her throat, and Faith's hands shook as she glided them over Buffy's thighs. "God, B. I love you. I've never been so hot, so fast." That didn't sound right, but…she couldn't get her head to work along with her mouth. "Never want to be anywhere except with you." That was better. Then Faith gave up on talking and just used her mouth for other things. Dragging her tongue along the edge of Buffy's lacy, barely-there camisole, Faith tried to give back even a little of the heat she was feeling.

Buffy reached down and started working Faith's breasts as Faith licked and nipped at her chest. If you combined all her past loves, they all paled in comparison to this. "Goddess, you feel wonderful, Faith."

"Show me more skin, baby. Give me a real show." Faith's nipples were so hard they hurt, and she could feel her clit throb in time with her heart. If Buffy didn't speed this up, Faith was going to embarrass herself and cum before Buffy ever touched her.

Leaning just enough to pull the camisole over her head, Buffy responded to the need in Faith's voice. She rubbed her nipples over Faith's lips and used her fingers to tease Faith's nipples through her shirt.

It was too much. Faith surged out of the chair, dumping Buffy on the bed as she tore off the last of Buffy's clothes before ripping at her own. Good thing she'd just bought more. The shirt was useless by the time it landed on the floor, and Faith was on Buffy in seconds, three fingers driving into her hot core.

Buffy was surprised at the flight across the room, but when Faith drove her fingers deep into her sopping core, she forgot all about that. She dug her nails into Faith's back, she vowed that Faith was going to look like she got into a fight with a tabby. "Yes!" she cried out, letting Faith know just how much she was enjoying this.

The pain of Buffy's nails pushed Faith closer to the edge. "More," she begged. She liked it rough. And right now, I needed it rough – from Buffy. As an incentive, Faith added a fourth finger and latched onto Buffy's neck.

Not to be outdone, Buffy thrust a leg between Faith's and dug her nails even deeper. She raked them up and down Faith's back every time Faith's fingers slid in and out. "I'm about to pop, lover," she announced, pressing her knee into Faith's clit, hoping to time so they climaxed at the same time.

Faith couldn't answer since she was leaving the world's largest love bite on Buffy's neck. Instead, she hurried to add her thumb and close her hand into a fist inside Buffy. If this didn't drive Buffy over the edge…

"Faith!" Throwing her head back, Buffy screamed Faith's name as she shuddered through a series of orgasms.

Faith matched her for volume and quantity. Her head buzzed from the pleasure overload. And she wasn't going to be showing any skin for a while. Faith's back was more than likely bleeding in places. Faith didn't care. In fact, she felt wonderful. Finally, even Slayer stamina gave out, though, and she slumped on top of Buffy. "Fuck, B. I think you broke me."

"Ditto on the breakage, Faith. I have never felt this way in my life. You bring out so many feelings…" Grabbing a handful of Faith's hair, Buffy gave her a kiss full of passion and love.

Faith returned the kiss with interested. When she pulled back, Faith wrapped her arms around Buffy, not wanting to let her go. "You think we got time for a nap before we take a shower and pick up Little T?" She _might_ be able to stay awake if Buffy said no. Maybe…

Buffy looked back at the clock and saw they had time for a two hour nap before picking up Tory. "Let's shower first. That way we aren't still buzzing from having the sex and we have a better chance of actually sleeping."

"Good plan, B." This way, Faith might be able to keep her hands off Buffy while they cuddled up to sleep. She rolled off the bed and waited until Buffy joined her. Then she picked Buffy up and carried her into the bathroom. Hot water, check. Buffy, check. Soap, check. "Let's get all squeaky clean, B, before I just curl up in the tub."

Buffy kicked her legs while making a 'wheee' sound as they went into the bathroom. "Sounds good, lover." Faith set her on the toilet seat lid, and Buffy used the time wisely. "Damn, your ass is even sexier without anything covering it. If I covered it in chocolate, I could…"

"Later, B," Faith interrupted quickly. "Did you miss the part about me just passing out in the tub?" She looked over her shoulder as she got the water temperature right. "You're like some Slayer Nympho. I never thought you'd have more stamina than me." Faith might get upset about that another time.

"I'm having orgasms for the first time in my life, Faith. It's something new for me so be prepared to make love to me every time we're alone. But you're right; we need a nap before picking up Tory. She's going to attack you when she sees your prezzies and I don't want you getting hurt again." Buffy kicked my feet, waiting for Air Faith to carry her into the shower.

Grinning goofily at Buffy's actions, Faith took the hint. Up into her arms right into the steaming spray. "Please keep your seat belt securely fastened until the captain has turned off the seat belt sign," she intoned as she stepped into the tub and dragged the glass door closed.

"Yes, Captain." Buffy kiss Faith lightly when her feet touched the tile of the tub and then she turned Faith around so she could clean the BuffyCat scratches. She knew Slayer healing could take care of them, but she wanted to clean them herself. She also wanted a chance to clean other parts of Faith: her butt, legs, core… "Faith is squeaky clean. Buffy's turn." Nearly bouncing from suppressed happiness, Buffy held out the shower mitt.

Oh, yeah. It was a good thing they'd showered first. Even weak and nearly shaking from the earlier orgasms, Buffy's touch got Faith's motor revving again. She slipped her hand into the glove and added more soap. She worked on Buffy's front, paying special attention to her breasts and core before slowly spinning her around. Long, slender back. Muscled ass. Faith held her breath as she cleaned between Buffy's cheeks. "Buffy's clean, too," she announced huskily.

After maneuvering them both out of the tub, Faith wrapped Buffy up in a big, fluffy towel and dried her off me off before letting Buffy return the favor.

"I love you, Faith, and I'm glad you're part of my and Tory's family. I can't promise I won't ever hurt you, but I will never do it on purpose," Buffy promised softly. Then she scooped Faith up on a flight of Air Buffy.

"I know you won't, B. I trust you." Now. Faith just wished she'd been smarter the first time around. "I love you, too, and I'll do my damnedest not to hurt you or Little T. I swear." She leaned her head on Buffy's shoulder. No one had ever taken care of her the way Buffy was taking care of her now.

Buffy held Faith with one arm as she turned down the bed. She lay Faith down gently and set the alarm before joining her. Looking up into Faith's sleep-hazy eyes, she said, "I know it's a ways off, but I can't wait until Tory brings home that first boy, and you pull the protective 'daddy' routine."

"Won't be all that long, B. Remember the way your mom kept talking about when you were little? Bet she thought that was just a few days ago, not years." Faith yawned, stroking Buffy's back lazily. "We'll be right there together. Me with my knife and you with the shotgun. Won't be a safer girl anywhere in Cleveland."


	7. Chapter 7

When the alarm went off, Buffy found herself between Faith's breasts. And then she noticed she'd drool. After shutting the alarm off, she used the sheet to wipe Faith down. Ensuring the wiping didn't lead to extracurricular activities, Buffy rolled out of bed and got dressed. She returned to the bed. "Time to get up, Faith. We have a cute blonde to pick up," she announced softly, bending down to plant a kiss on Faith's lips.

"Mmmm." Buffy tasted so good. "I got a cute blonde right here, but if you want, I can pick you up and carry you around for a while before we get busy again." She knew it was time to get up. Hell, she was even looking forward to going to get Tory. That didn't mean Faith wasn't also more than happy to say a somewhat belated good morning to the sexy woman pressed against her.

Buffy poked her in the ribs. "I'm not so blonde anymore, lover. Now get your ass out of bed, so you can make Tory scream with her prezzies. I'll be downstairs, my little pony." Adding a smack to Faith's ass, Buffy left Faith with that visual in her head.

Faith vowed that Buffy was going to follow through with that. She wasn't going to let her skip it. Rolling out of bed, Faith pulled on some of her new clothes. Not bad. She looked good without being Bad Faith. And the pants didn't come to her knees. After making sure her hair had just the right look, Faith trotted after Buffy. "Ready when you are, B."

"Let's roll, girlfriend." Buffy walked over and jumped on Faith's back. "I hope you have your energy up, Faith, because Tory is a sugared up nutball on the weekends. Maybe you fixed that with your art supplies, though, and she'll leave us to entertain overselves." Not really belieiving that, Buffy nonetheless kissed Faith's neck before smacking her ass again as they headed out to the car.

"About the weekend, B," Faith said as she trotted to the car. Trotted, literally. She was practicing for her pony debut. "I got a feeling Red and Big T will be here by tonight. Tomorrow way early at the latest. She didn't take me brushing her off very well. I got that 'I'm going to kick Faith's ass' vibe all the way from Cleveland."

Buffy hopped off Faith's back as they got to driver's side door. "That's fine, baby. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Besides, I have Mom-face now. Resolve-face doesn't scare me," she stated bravely, kissing Faith's lips tenderly. Faith's speech yesterday left her knowing, without a doubt, that they would take care of each other.

Buffy drove them back to the school – and Faith was freaking the whole time. Not about Willow. Faith planned to hide behind Tory when the magic started flying. She was scared Tory wasn't going to like her presents. Fuck. What if she thought Faith was trying to buy her affection? By the time Buffy parked, Faith's knee was bouncing so hard the car was shaking.

Reaching over, Buffy placed a hand on Faith's thigh and stilled her leg. "I can tint the windows if you need to relax."

She wasn't referring to a nap or a light massage.

When Faith didn't answer, Buffy sighed and kissed her cheek before popping of the car. She hurried to Faith's door, opening it and holding out her hand. Slowly, gripping Buffy's fingers until they felt flattened, Faith climbed out.

"You can tint the windows?" Faith knew she was a little behind on the conversation. She wasn't really blowing Buffy off. She simply had other things on her mind. Still, Buffy probably expected a response of some kind – and Faith didn't want to disappoint. Unfortunately, she was too distracted to keep her sultry smirk in place or continue further. She blew her act almost immediately by asking, "Hey, you don't think Little T is going to bust me for trying to pay her off, do you? I mean, I don't want to pay her to like me. I just…" She squeezed Buffy's hand more tightly. "I just want her to like me," she mumbled lamely.

Buffy leaned into Faith's ear. "You forget that you are making her mom happy, too, so the art supplies are icing on the cake. She loves you for you, Faith, not for the stuff you buy her. But like me, she does like prezzies so when the real spoiling starts, we're going to need a mansion." The bell rang. "Get ready," Buffy warned.

"OK." Faith wasn't sure what Buffy meant by ready. She was standing on the sidewalk at the school. Was she supposed to be going somewhere? Before Faith could ask, though, a little blonde bullet streaked our way. "Fuck, B, she's got your speed," she managed to get out before her ribs screamed and the car door crumpled from impact.

Buffy caught Tory's bag as she plowed into Faith. "Have a good day, sweetie?" She got an enthusiastic nod. "I thought I told you Tory has some of our abilities, Faith. Oopsy. When you catch your breath, put her in the car." She waved to Mel's mom as she walked around the car.

"'k," Faith wheezed. Breathing hurt. She worked hard to hide that, though. Tory would have a fit - and Faith's cool would be ruined. Slowly pushing away from the car, FAith hid a wince and readjusted Tory so she wasn't wrapped so tightly around her probably bruised ribs. "Glad you had fun at school, T. What'dya study?" Faith was proud of herself. That sounded like a good aunt kind of question.

Buffy watched as Faith put Tory in the car before climbing in herself. "We're not really studying too much. It's all getting ready for the final tests. Did you buy some clothes today, Faith, or did you and Mom get too busy, and you'll be wearing Mom's capris again?" she asked, giggling as Buffy heaved her book bag into the back seat.

"We got Faith her clothes, and I don't think the size bothered her, sweetie. It was the colors," Buffy said with an almost-straight face, leaning over for one last kiss before heading home.

"Your mom has the worst taste in colors ever, T. All that pink and yellow." Faith let her dimples out and poked Buffy in the thigh. "And the shoes…"

Tory was rolling in the back seat. "You don't like them either? I mean, how did she run around and do all that cool stuff in heels and sandals?"

Faith glanced at Buffy. Sometimes, she was sensitive about the past. Faith didn't want to ruin the mood, but Buffy seemed OK. She thought she'd better make sure, though. "T, your mom is the best. Ain't no one can keep up with her. Pastels and sandals don't matter. It's what's in here." Faith pointed to her head "And here." Her heart. "That's what makes your mom the best."

Throwing a light punch at Faith, Buffy said, "I'm driving, Faith, so no making me cry." She blinked quickly to keep them back. "Thank you, though, for those words, and you," one finger pointed back to Tory, "be nice or we won't take Faith with us to the park tomorrow so she can meet some of your friends." Buffy wasn't planning on Willow being there, too, but if she did show up, they'd have to deal.

"Don't worry, T." Faith winked at Tory. "Your mom won't be able to keep me from the park. I want to meet your gang. See if you got any good prospects for the Next Generation of Slayers."

Tory grinned. "None here, Faith. I was going to wait until Mom showed me all the people back in Cleveland. You know, the ones who already know about vampires and stuff." Faith could tell she'd given this some thought. Huh. Maybe she was really Willow's kid. Faith and Buffy had always been about action, not thinking.

"Good lord, Faith, they are seven years old. Even if there were any Slayers, they deserve a childhood. And I have a feeling you'll be a hit with the kids. I'm sure Tory has already been talking about you." Buffy poked Faith's ribs. She was in so much trouble with what she and the other moms had been calling 'The Dirty half-Dozen'.

"I'm always a hit, B." Leaning over, Faith turned up the radio, dancing in her seat. "People just naturally see me as the life of the party."

Buffy smiled at Faith's dancing before looking at Tory through the mirror. "Yeah, Tor, Faith is a bit touched, but that is her charm." As she pulled into the ice cream shop and shut off the car, Buffy asked, "So besides you and me, Tory, is there anyone else who wants some ice cream?"

"Ice cream?" Faith was out of the car like a shot – and then bounced in place until the Slow Crew finally showed up. "Geez, didja get stuck in the car or what? Look at all the people in line now. We'll be waiting for hours."

Tory must have gotten her look from Joyce. Faith recognized it. "All the people?" She peered around Faith through the front door. "You mean the one old guy at the counter?"

Faith nodded.

"He works here, Faith. See?" Faith turned when Tory pointed. "He's wearing a uniform shirt and a paper hat."

Buffy leaned down to Tory's level. "Faith enjoys sarcasm, sweetie; don't pick up too much of it." She rubbed Tory's head as they headed toward the counter before bumping Faith's hip as she passed her. "So what is your fancy, sexy?"

"Mom!" Tory squealed.

"What?" Faith skipped ahead. "You don't think I'm sexy?" Whirling like a top, she waved her hands at her body. "No taste, T. You got no taste." With a flounce worthy of Buffy, Faith headed for the counter and ordered a quadruple scoop of chocolate chocolate chip.

Buffy got her usual banana split before taking her girls to a booth. She looked at Faith and knew she had to tell Tory in case her daughter got up before they did – and found Willow and Tara on the doorstep. "Tory, it looks like you are going to meet your Aunts Willow and Tara. They are coming to town because your Aunt Willow is a little neurotic." She stuffed a bite of her ice cream in her mouth and rubbed a foot against Faith's.

"Neeeyu…" Tory looked confused.

Faith licked her tower of cream before helping out. "She's crazy, munchkin." Just in case that was too hard, she moved her finger in a circle next to her ear. "Red thinks she's the only one who can keep your mom safe. She got really mean and nasty and made me come out here to make sure your mom wasn't some bum on the street. You know, the one that says 'Will Work for Food?'"

Tory gave Buffy a look, and she simply shrugged in return. "Okay. I've got a plan," Tory announced. "From now on, I get the door if the bell rings. And if the crazy aunts are there, I can call for mom. 'Cause I think _you_ need to be safe, Aunt Faith. No one gets to be mean to you anymore."

"Well, that solves that, huh Faith?" Buffy beamed.

She had the world's worst timing. Faith had just shoved her face into her ice cream – trying to hide the tears welling in her eyes at Tory's comment. Pulling away, she nodded her agreement.

Tory started giggling madly.

Faith looked at her and cocked my head, blinking rapidly to get rid of the last signs of her emotions. "Something wrong?" She licked her lips and went back to eating.

Buffy had to laugh at Faith's face. "I guess I'm getting two clean wipes out instead of one." That just made Tory laugh harder. Oh yeah, Buffy ruefully acknowledge. Faith and Tory were going to be barrels of fun. Good. She liked to see them getting along.

Nearly growling at the lack of privacy, Faith did _not_ say she wanted Buffy to lick her clean. Instead, Faith did what she did best: act like an idiot. With a big, obvious wink at Tory, she said, "Well, if ya' got wipes, I can stop being so careful." Then she buried her face in the ice cream, letting it go all over her nose, chin, and cheeks.

"Mom, Faith wants you to be her napkin. I'm seven, and I even knew where she was going," Tory said rolling her eyes as Buffy grabbed Faith's neck and pulled her in close.

Lapping her tongue over Faith's lips. "Mmm, chocolate is tasty." Not even Tory sitting across the table or the blush burning her cheeks kept Buffy from enjoying the experience. Then, breathless and flushed from more than embarrassment, Buffy yanked her cell phone out of her purse and dialed Angel. If they were going to be moving, they needed boxes.

Man, when Buffy decided to do something, she didn't hold back. Faith was shaking all over by the time she finished 'cleaning' her face. Trying to hide just how turned on she was, Faith quietly finished her ice cream as Buffy explained to Angel about the move.

"It's really coming, isn't it?" Tory put her spoon on the table. That was bad. No seven year-old stopped eating ice cream unless things were really serious.

"The move?" Faith asked, not pushing for more.

Tory nodded.

"Yeah, it is. I think your mom wants to move as soon as school is out." Fatih reached for her hand. "You…you want to go, though, right?" If not, she'd be the first to tell Willow to take a hike and then Faith would start looking for a job in LA. Angel could probably use some extra muscle.

Buffy told Angel to hold on when she saw Tory's face. "You know what? No, we aren't moving. Well, we are, but not to Cleveland," she informed Angel. The boxes would get them out of their current house and into something bigger. In LA. "I'm done with the Slaying. I'm retired. If my friends want to come and visit, so be it." Buffy nodded her head with finality. This plan felt far more…right. "We'll check the web tonight to see if there any places that catch our eye here in town. Because I want something retreat-y."

Tory popped out of her seat and wrapped Buffy up in a tight hug.

Faith watched them with a smile. She didn't much care where they lived as long as it wasn't Boston. Anywhere with Buffy and their girl. "House hunting. The best way to spend any weekend." Well, after the two-day sex marathon, anyway.

Buffy scooted over so the three of them were in the same booth. "How about if we look for a place with a stable so you can keep your horses at our place, Tor? Plus, we can raid the shelters and rescue a few pets." She leaned down to Tory's ear and whispered (even though Faith could hear her), "Faith wants a dog. What do you think she would say about four or five dogs?"

Faith knew Buffy was aware she could hear her. She had to. Faith's eyes burned and blurred with tears for the second time in minutes. "A dog?" And horses. Tory had horses. She'd loved to watch the mounted police units run through Boston Commons early in the morning. If only Willow wasn't going to be on the doorstep tonight, she was all for looking at houses tonight.

Buffy turned to Faith, wiping her eyes and sniffling. "Not just a dog, baby. If we get enough acreage, we could have quite a few dogs. And maybe a couple house cats that think our feet are bed mice" She smiled as she got a giggle out of Faith as Tory finished her ice cream.

"Go wash up, sweetie," Buffy ordered softly, kissing Tory's cheek and getting a taste of her ice

Cream, too. Once she was in the bathroom, Buffy turned back to Faith. "We're a family, Faith. Dogs, cats, horses, maybe a cow…they will be our extended family. And hey, if my red-headed best friend doesn't show up tonight, we can do some shopping. Plus, there is that thing at home waiting for Tory." Giving Faith a chance to absorb everything, Buffy hopped up and tossed their garbage.

Faith vowed right then to make sure she got Angel to hire her. She wanted to make sure her girls were well taken care of. For the last few months, she'd been bankrolling the Council cash. And Buffy had a good chunk sitting in an account, too. "I love you, Buffy." Faith really hoped Tara talked Willow into waiting. She wanted to show Tory her gifts and let her sketch while she and Buffy got online to look for a farm.

A farm. The Dark Slayer with a family and a farm.

Before that thought sent her cowering under the table, Faith took a deep breath. "I can't wait to go home with you and T."

Faith was still in the booth when Buffy returned to the table. She squatted down and peered intently into Faith's eyes. "I love you too, Faith, and I can't wait to find a home for the _three_ of us."


	8. Chapter 8

"Oh my goddess, did I miss it?" Tory yelled as Buffy's face got really red.

"Huh?" Whatever Tory was yelling about, Faith had missed it, too. She swiveled around in the booth. "Geeze, munchkin. You and your Aunt D got some lungs. Must be genetic."

Buffy hadn't moved. Faith looked from one Summers to the other. She'd definitely missed something. What? She could feel my heart beat faster as she kept looking at them. Buffy was crouched in front of Faith, holding Faith's hands. No…not crouched. Kind of kneeling. And her eyes were all teary. Home…for the three of them… Oh, fuck.

"Yes," Faith told her. "Yes."

Buffy kissed Faith deeply. "I'm going to do this again when we get back so I can give you your ring," she promised. Then she I turned to Tory. "Thanks, sweetie; I never would have asked without you there. You are a part of this family, too. Now let's get home and let the ice cream digest." And so Tory could show Faith the full range of her voice, Buffy thought with a hidden grin.

A ring, too? Faith gripped Buffy's hand so hard she probably broke her fingers. "Let's go, T." She was kind of lagging behind, grinning and watching the two adults. That wasn't going to work. Faith grabbed her with her free arm and held Tory against her. "Is that OK, Tory? For me to go home with you and your mom?"

Tory gave Faith a wink before answering. "I love the change you have made in mom. Of course you can join the family. You should be glad Aunt Cordy isn't here. She'd tell you to stop asking stupid questions," Tory announced, leaping into her arms and kissing her cheek. "I love you, Faith."

As Tory wrapped her arms around Faith's neck, Buffy's eyes started to get moist.

Faith's throat and chest ached. She couldn't stop grinning. "Love you, too, Little T. Now…let's get your mom home before she turns into a pumpkin." Then she thought about that. "Or…would we be the pumpkins?" Shrugging, Faith settled Tory into the back seat and then took her own place up front. Not even the seat belt bothered her. Faith could have walked on water at the moment.

Buffy reached over for Faith's hand as she pulled out of the lot and headed for home. "Personally, I think you both are goobers. Good thing they are my favorite movie fare," she said, kissing Faith's hand.

"Better be your favorite. You're stuck with me forever now." Faith held Buffy's hand all the way home, getting tense as they pulled up to the house. No unknown cars or evil black-haired, veiny witches. Yes! Doing a silent cheer, Faith jumped out of the car. "I got one more thing to show you, Little T. Your mom and I left it up in your room. Why don't you take a look and then I want a tour of the Tory Gallery."

Buffy tossed Tory her house keys as she and Faith, hung back watching her bolt toward the house. "Remember when you said she sounded like Dawn?" Buffy asked, getting nod from Faith. "You were right, and we are going hear another sample soon." Buffy led Faith into the house. Just as she shut the front door, an ear piercing scream ripped through the air.

"Son of a bitch." Faith slapped both hands over her ears. The sound just kept going. "How do you stand that?" she shouted. Of course, just as she did, Tory stopped…and _Faith's_ voice was the one echoing off the walls. She hated that. Scowling, Faith dropped her hands and stomped to the couch. "You mind if I borrow the phone for a sec? Need to call a man about a job."

Buffy gave her a kiss. "Tell Angel I said hi again. There is something I need to get from our bedroom anyway." Running up the steps, Buffy popped her head into Tory's room. "Like your prezzies?" Tory turned around, a huge smile on her face turned around and Buffy pointed downstairs. It was time for the official engagement, and Tory definitely needed to be there.

Faith watched Buffy leave and then quickly dialed Angel's office from memory.

Ten minutes later, she dropped onto the couch and rubbed at her temples. Angel knew her too well. He was probably sitting in his huge office laughing his head off now. But Faith had a job. One that made the Council gig look like the volunteer work it was. Head of Special Operations. Angel promised that wasn't as bad as it sounded. Faith would get to train the shock troops and integrate and rotate the new Slayers through their first tour in the 'real demon world'. Not to mention the nifty six figure salary she'd be pulling down.

She was so afraid this wasn't real, but Faith was going to hold onto it as tightly as she could. No matter what happened.

Upstairs, Buffy walked into the master bedroom and opened the drawer of her bedside table. A dusty ring box sat there, nestled amid the tissues, lotions, and miscellaneous junk. Without hesitation, she grabbed the box and walked back to Tory's room. Hand in hand, they headed back to the main floor.

Faith was sitting on the couch, staring off into space as Tory broke away from Buffy and jumped into her lap. Buffy completed the trip more slowly, finally kneeling at Faith's feet. Hands shaking visibly, Buffy opened the box and removed the ring. "Faith Lehane, will you marry me?"

Right now, Tory probably thought Faith was trying to crush her. Faith's arms wrapped around the little girl with everything but Slayer strength. With a deep breath, Faith met Buffy's eyes. "Yes, I will." She should say more. She knew it. Nothing sounded right, though. Reaching out her hand, Faith watched Buffy take the ring from the box and slide it onto her finger. It was a little big.

Then Faith's heart stopped. She recognized this ring. It had been Joyce's.

"We'll get it resized, baby," Buffy whispered huskily. She kissed Faith's knuckles as Tory climbed off Faith's lap. Needing a moment alone with Faith…her _fiancé_, Buffy reminded herself, she told Tory, "You can go back to enjoying you presents."

With a solemn nod, Tory gave each of them a hug and kiss and bolted for the stairs.

"You remember the ring, don't you?" Buffy had seen the flicker of pain in Faith's eyes.

"Yeah." Faith's voice came out on a choked sob. "It was your mom's." She looked up at Buffy through her tears. "Fuck, B. Are you sure? We could get another ring. This was your mom's."

Buffy clambered up and took a seat on Faith's. "She loved you, Faith. Even after everything you did, she still loved you." Starting to tear up, Buffy went on. "We talked about a lot of stuff when she got sick, and she showed me what was in my heart. After I thought about it, I knew she was right about how much I loved you." Buffy kissed Faith deeply through her tears. "And if you don't believe me, Angel knows a guy that has control of the dead. He got him to bring Mom out of the new Lake Sunnydale before making a Summers' mausoleum so you can 'talk' to Mom if you want."

"Your mom was the best, ya' know?" Faith dragged a hand across her eyes. "You're gonna be just like her. T's a great kid, and it's so obvious you love her." Taking a ragged breath, she sat up a little and brushed her lips over Buffy's. "We get a chance, I'd love to say hi to Mrs. S." Try to explain the shit going on back in Sunnydale. "I owe her a lot. You being the most important thing." Faith had to kiss Buffy again before getting them both back on less emotional ground. "Now…how about you grab that laptop and show me what you had in mind for a house, wife?"

"Yes, husband." Giggling, Buffy took a couple swipes at her tears before going into the office and grabbing her laptop. She ran back in and plopped down on the floor before patting the place beside her. "You know, I've heard of 'interesting' things you can do in a stable," Buffy teased, wiggling her eyebrows. She didn't mention that it had been Fred who had imparted that bit of wisdom.

"Well, I _am_ your pony. They keep those in the barn." Faith slithered off the couch to sit next to Buffy. "At least, that's what I've heard. Ain't a lot of horses in Southie." Leaning against Buffy, Faith watched her fingers tap the keys. "You look comfortable on the computer. Did Red finally get you to sit down and learn or was it because of the book?"

Buffy leaned over and stole a kiss. "Yeah, Wil and I re-bonded while she taught me after she and Tara came back from England. She was the one who told me I should become a writer." She gave Faith bashful smile. "I may be trying to get my first children's book published, but…My first book was a romance novel. "You've already been published?"

Faith turned toward Buffy. "Which one? Maybe I've read it." Then she blushed. Fuck. No one knew about her secret love of bodice rippers. Coulter, Small, Devereaux… She had shelves full of them at her apartment. Just ot in the main areas people could see. Out there, Faith had weapons displays and stacks of beer cans.

Buffy bumped shoulders with Faith after hearing she was a romance reader. "It was _Forever Love_ by Elizabeth Winters. Did you read it?" She tried not to look too interested in the answer as she typed in their housing preferences hoping.

"No way!" Buffy couldn't be Elizabeth Winters. "I loved that book." In fact, Faith had sat on the couch and sobbed when the hero 'died', leaving his heartbroken wife and small child alone. She'd cried again when he escaped from the prison camp and made it home to them. "I think I read it, like, a dozen times."

"That was you, me, and Tory. I used some of our pasts as plots. Once I started writing, it flowed, and I had Angel's publishing group handle it just to get it out. With the children's books, though, I wanted to do it on my own." The results of the search came up on the screen, listing a half dozen houses fitting their parameters.

"Yeah, we did have one hell of a past, B." Kissing Buffy's shoulder, Faith let that thought go and looked at the screen. "What are we looking for? I mean, a house. I got that part. With what? Four…five bedrooms?" She figured they'd eventually have those kids Buffy wanted. "Some land and barns and shit?"

"And a guest house off the main house for the Scooby drop-ins." Buffy giggled as she saw a possibility among the options on the computer. "What about this one? It has four bedrooms, a family room, living and dining rooms, a nice-sized kitchen. Not to mention a sunroom, a bonus room, and a full basement that could be used for a weight room," she rattled off. Then, continuing to scan the information, Buffy noted the property had a four-stall stable and the guest house she'd joked about. "Well, with Tory having only three horses, that leaves a stall empty, and it's on a good bit of land."

It looked fucking awesome. Kind of scary, too. "I'd be afraid to touch anything." Faith pointed to the screen. "The carpet's white, B. Who the fuck puts white carpet in a house with people? And kids?" Then her eyes popped way open. "Kids with paint." Still, it had everything Buffy wanted and it wasn't too long a haul to downtown LA. "Can we save that and see what else we can find?"

Buffy kissed Faith for thinking of the mess. Personally, she could care less. "Yeah, hardwood floors would be the way to go. That way, we wouldn't end up with carpet burns when Tory is at sleepovers," she said, leaning over to bite Faith's arm.

"I like the new Thinking Buffy. She's wicked hot." Faith pulled her head up for a deep, rough kiss. "Hardwoods. Add another bedroom in case I decide to have triplets, too."

Oh, Faith was asking for it. "If _I_ have triplets, Faith, you'll be able to walk into my vagina," Buffy answered, trying to keep a straight face. Faith was making that harder by the second, however.

"Let's call Red and Big T, then. I'm sure they can make that happen." Faith grinned, dimples out in full. "'Cause that would be so fucking awesome to be able to get all the way in there. I bet I could have you cumming for hours."

Buffy rolled over on Faith and started relentlessly tickling her until we were interrupted by someone clearing their throat. I kept my fingers on Faith's ribs as she looked up. "Hi, sweetie, what can I do for you?"

"I'm getting a little hungry for dinner, and since you are busy…" Tory walked over to peer at the computer. "…house hunting. How about I call for pizza? Dozen now with another piggy in the house?" she asked with a smirking as Buffy climbed off Faith to give her a chance at revenge.

"Piggy? Who you calling a piggy, T?" She hopped up and chased Tory around the room. She squealed and ducked under tables, climbed over chairs, and Faith let her. No Slayer speed for her. She'd just wear Tory down. Or so Faith thought. Fuck. She was supposed to be a superhero, wasn't she? Then why the fuck was Faith the one nearly prone on the floor and panting after maybe fifteen minutes?

"Hey, Tor, how about you and Faith check out some houses while I call in the pizzas? That way you won't have to hand me the phone when they doubt how many we are ordering." Buffy smiled as her watched my girls play.

"Sounds…sound good," Faith panted. She finally cheated and used a little 'help' to grab her target. It didn't work they way she planned, however. Tory wrapped her arms and legs around Faith, kissing her cheek. Faith melted. All the running and exhaustion was so worth it.

The computer gave Faith a moment of panic. She wasn't the world's best with them. But the search engine was easy enough to figure out. "What do you think, T? This one?" She pointed to a large, open ranch-like place. Five bedrooms with a fucking _huge_ master bath. Three acres. Heated barn. Pool. And a walkout basement. "We could make a workout room for me and your mom and give you a little sunny corner to do your art in, too."

"Mom?" Tory asked, just after Buffy hung up the phone.

She walked over to the two of them smiling. "If my girls like it, then I'm all for it. If I heard right," and Slayer hearing assured she had, "this one has five bedrooms." Winking at Faith, she added, "It looks like you can have your triplets after all." With no warning, Buffy pounced on top of Faith and resumed her earlier tickling.

It was short lived. Tory got into the action, tickling Buffy, and it didn't take long until Buffy was on the receiving end of a Faith/Tory double team.

Faith's ribs ached. HerMy face hurt. She probably had bruises from the near-wrestling match – and she'd never been happier. All three of them eventually flopped onto the floor in a big pile of panting, giggling parts. "Let's set up a time to go look at the place, OK? I want to make sure that bathtub is as big as they say before we decide to buy it. I don't do small tubs."

Tory gave Buffy a look that had her shrugging her shoulders. "Faith, I'm seven, not four. I know what you and mom do so you could have just said that you want to make sure it is big enough for the two of you."

Buffy had to laugh at that. "Mom told me I was going to have a kid like me." She kissed Tory's forehead. "I love you, Tory." Reveling in the hug she got in return for her declaration, Buffy decided to change the subject. "Do you have any masterpieces yet?"

"I love you too, Mom." Tory squeezed harder for a second and then let go. "Thank you, Faith, for the presents. The stuff's great, but… no masterpieces yet. I've been checking out all of what you bought me; I haven't started working on anything."

"At least you don't have any kids like me, B. You'd be running for the door in seconds." Faith felt left out and grabbed Tory in a big bear hug. "The munchkin here actually does what you tell her. Me? I was that kid that always talked back and did whatever I wanted." She winked. "And I never shared my toys."

Tory giggled. "I bet Mom doesn't share her toys, either."

Faith's eyes bugged out, but…she was pretty sure Tory didn't mean it like it sounded. "Nah, your grandma taught her right." The doorbell rang. "Well, that's your cue, B. I'll save you the best spot at the table." She patted the floor to her right.

Buffy gave Faith an arch look as she dug the money out of her purse. "The best, huh?" she asked huskily. Then, as usual, Tory took the money out of her hand and sprinted to the door. Buffy hid her grin; she couldn't wait to see how Faith handled Tory's crush on the pizza delivery boy.

She never got to the door, though. Tory came back into the living room. "Uh, Mom? I think you better take care of this."


	9. Chapter 9

Trying to stay calm, Buffy gently moved Tory out of the way and completed her trip. "Hey guys." Her voice shook only a little. "Faith told me you might be coming. Would you like to come in?" Buffy forced a smile as she opened the door wider – and then she pointed to Faith and Tory. Better to get this part out of the way now. "You know Faith, my fiancé; and that is my daughter Tory."

Let the fun begin. Buffy braced for the explosion.

It didn't happen right away. Faith got up slowly and walked to the door, too. Neither of the girls had come in yet, and she could see Tory was starting to freak. "Hey, Little T, can you grab us some drinks from the kitchen? Just soda for all of us, and I'll be there in a minute to help carry them out."

Tory gave her a wide-eyed nod and bolted. Smart kid.

"You guys better come in. Think there's a lot of shit we need to talk about." Making her position perfectly clear, Faith took Buffy's hand and kissed her softly. "That's husband. Not fiancé."

To make the situation even more farcical, Scott showed up with the pizzas. Buffy went with the addition. "Tory, your boyfriend is here," she called out, giving the teenager a wink as she turned and walked into the living room. Scooping up her laptop, Buffy placed it on the end table.

Tory gave her a dirty look as she handed off the sodas before stomping over to the door. "Were you both born in a barn? In or out?" she snapped at the still-motionless Willow and Tara.

Buffy couldn't help it. She snickered at Tory's questions.

"She sounds so much like Dawn," Tara said softly. She finally stepped into the house and made a beeline for Buffy. Almost before Buffy turned, Tara wrapped her up in a big hug. "She looks seven or eight, Buffy. How?"

Returning the hug, Buffy avoided an answer. "All in time," she promised, giving a silent Willow a brief embrace. She stepped away from her friends as Faith stalked past. Uh oh. Buffy bit her lip to hide a smile and watched the show.

Tory was way too young for this guy, Faith thought, as she scowled at the swooning little girl. What was he? Some child molester in the making? She stopped a few feet away from the door hung out by the door, arms crossed, and let the Slayer peek out.

Scott took one look at Faith and went grey. "Hey, uh…I have other deliveries. Maybe…maybe I should go."

Faith rewarded his brilliance with a teeth-baring smile. "Good plan. Very good. Bye."

He turned and bolted.

"Mom!" Tory whined as Faith closed the door behind the fleeing Scott with a bang. Lip thrust out, she glared at everyone and then did a little bolting of her own.

"Faith, he's harmless. His girlfriend is one of Tory's babysitters. Do you honestly think I would let anything happen? Cut me some slack. Now, I suggest you think about how to fix that," Buffy ordered firmly, pointing at the stairs Tory had just used.

Swallowing hard, Faith nodded. "Yeah. Sorry, B." She looked ready to face a firing squad as she moved closer.

Willow stared at the scene silently. If Buffy hadn't been worried about Faith and Tory, she might have asked if Willow was all right.

Tara's reaction, though, helped Buffy relax. Smiling crookedly, Tara said, "I'm going to step out on a limb and say Tory was pre-Sunnydale. When you still lived here in LA."

"Yeah, I had her when I was fifteen," Buffy answered. "Her father Pike and I ran away to Vegas when I got kicked out of school. When we found out I was pregnant, Mom told me we should let his parents raise her." It sounded so cold blooded, and Buffy took a deep breath. She had to get this out. Had to explain. "Mom was right – for all the wrong reasons. I didn't want Tory anywhere near the Slaying. I left her here and moved to Sunnydale, but when Willow activated all the Slayers… I knew this was my chance to be her mom. She accepted back without question when I came back." By the end of her brief explanation, Buffy was fighting tears.

"You lied to all of us, even Dawn. How could you not tell us about her Buffy?" Willow shouted, finally breaking her silence.

"Probably because you're a selfish bitch with even less tact than me." Faith wasn't going to let Willow get away with her usual shit. "Put the attitude away, Red, or you and me are throwing down right here."

Willow glared at Faith and her skin burned.

Faith didn't care. "B was fifteen when she had Tory. Fifteen," she repeated. "Add to that she just got activated and her life sucked. Would you have been big with sharing? Fuck no. I bet until the whole First thing, B tried not to think about Tory. Do you have any idea what it's like to think you're going to die any time? That the next patrol is your last? You don't go into that thinking about the past or some maybe future. You just think about the now."

Buffy tried to compose herself, but the tears kept flowing. "I was planning on telling you guys, but I wanted to get settled in as a mom before I did. I'm sorry for taking off, but I've earned this." She wiped at her eyes a couple of times before turning to Faith. "Can you take Tara upstairs and introduce her to Tory, please?"

"Sure, baby." Faith didn't want to leave Buffy, though. Willow still looked pissed and she wanted to be there. But she got up and waited for Tara to join her. "You need anything, just yell." Faith made sure to meet Willow's eyes when she said it.

Tara was really quiet as they started up the stairs. Faith almost felt sorry for her. She was always trying to smooth over Willow's issues and stupid comments. When they reached the second floor, Faith led her to Tory's room. The little girl was huddled in her big rocking chair, sketch pad in hand – and Faith could see the glimmer of tears on her face.

Leaving Faith at the door, Tara tentatively walked over to the spitting image of Buffy and knelt in front of the chair. "H-hi, T-tory, I'm your Aunt Tara. It's nice to meet you." She offered her hand but instead got knocked to the floor. "Goddess, is this how you got greeted, Faith?" She held Tory gently, feeling tiny arms squeeze around her.

"Pretty much. Like you said, the kid's a lot like Dawn." Faith grinned at Tara as she and Tory sprawled on the floor. "She's got good taste, though. Always thought you deserved a good hug."

Tory looked up at me. "Aunt Faith…" Oops. She'd been watching Buffy. Faith wiggled and bounced, not meeting Tory's stern look. Finally, she let Faith off the hook, turning her attention back to Tara. "Sorry, Aunt Tara, I didn't mean to knock you over." Faith could see her blush as she got up and held out a hand to Tara. "I…Mom says I just get carried away sometimes."

Tara sat and smiled. "Your Mom is like that, too. I think it's a Summers thing. So, Faith, how are you handling all this?" Tara really wanted to know. The situation was mind boggling – even for her. She could feel a little power in Tory. Nothing like that of a full Potential. But the Slayer heritage was clear. Faith still hadn't responded, and Tara decided to back off. "Tory, you have a nice spread here."

"Yeah, Aunt Faith bought it for me while I was in school today." Tory was all little-girl excited as she pointed out some of the supplies. With a big grin, she continued. "And we're looking for a house, Aunt Tara. For the three of us and my horses, and I think I heard Mom mention something about dogs and cats, too."

Tara glanced at Faith and raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

If Willow had asked that, Faith would have lost it. Tara was different. She wasn't mocking or mean. She just wanted to know. "Yeah. I…" Faith looked at Tara almost shyly. "I love B. I always have. She loves me, too." She held up my hand, showing off Joyce's ring. "We're a family now."

"And Aunt Faith wants Mom to get pregnant with triplets to fill the other three bedrooms in the house." Tory was nearly bouncing from the force of her giggles.

Tara reached for Faith's hand. "I didn't know what family was until I met

Buffy. We may have fights and arguments, but things always work out." She seemed to suddenly realize exactly what Faith's ring was. "And I'm glad you have 'your'family now, too, Faith."

Before Faith could respond, Tory interrupted. Her laughter was gone, and she seemed sad. "I thought Mom and Aunt Willow were best friends."

Out of the mouth of babes. Faith had a feeling things downstairs were going to get loud before they get better. "They are, Little T." She met Tara's eyes. "That's the problem. For a long time, your mom and Willow were kinda just the two of them. They shared everything. Slaying, school, boys…Since your mom couldn't tell your grandma all her secrets, she told Willow. When she didn't tell about you, she hurt Willow's feelings." That and Willow was a fucking control freak, but Faith left that part out.

Faith couldn't know how right she was in her explanation. Buffy waited just long enough for Faith and Tara to disappear before turning on Willow. She honestly don't know what to do. "What do you want me to say, Willow? Yeah, I hid Tory, but like Faith said, I figured I would never see her again. And to warn you, again, you might want to keep your voice down. Faith is a little protective of her family." Buffy relaxed slightly when she made that statement; she loved reminding herself of that.

"I noticed," Willow mumbled sullenly. "She almost attacked that pizza boy." OK, that might be an exaggeration, but not much of one. "Since when did Faith get a pass into the family, Buffy? We've always just tolerated her. I mean, she's been way better since getting out of prison, but how do you really know you can trust her? What if she suddenly goes off the deep end again?" Willow wanted to close her eyes at that last question. Why couldn't she stay on topic? Faith wasn't the problem. Not really. It was Tory and the not knowing.

"Two words, Wil, Warren Mears." Yeah, that was low, but Willow needed to understand. "We gave you a pass because he put Tara in a coma. In here…" Buffy pointed to her heart. "Faith has always been family. I was too young and stupid to realize what was there before. I'm not now."

Buffy's words hurt. Willow blinked back tears and swallowed the lump in her throat. How could Buffy compare her to Faith? She opened her mouth to say something – and then stopped. Buffy was right, even if Willow didn't want to admit it. "I'm sorry. So sorry." Willow was supposed to be Buffy's best friend. Buffy was supposed to know she could come to her. She didn't. Willow had let her down. "Please, tell me what happened."

Buffy gave Willow the more detailed story than she'd given Faith. She knew Willow would fill in any gapes in the tale if Tara asked. By the time she finished, she was tired. Only a little more left to reveal. "My original plan was to wait until Tory's school year was over and head to Cleveland for the big surprise. But now we're just going visit and do the intros because I'm a mom first. Tory's friends are here, and I don't want to uproot her." Buffy slowly relaxed, not feeling any angry vibes from Willow anymore.

"I think I knew you weren't ever coming to Cleveland." Willow got up and sat next to Buffy, leaning her head on Buffy's shoulder. "When you didn't show up after the first couple of months, I knew." Tears leaked out. Willow missed Buffy so much, but she'd always been up front about wanting to quit. Sucking up the hurt and the stabbing sense of loss, she asked softly, "Are you happy, Buffy?"

"I thought I was happy when it was only me and Tory. When Faith showed up, though, I felt complete." She picked up Willow's hand and placed it in her lap. "You know, you could do New Council stuff from here. I hear there is this nice family home possibly opening up. Tory wants to be the elder stateswoman of the next generation." Wrapping Willow up in a tight hug, Buffy asked hesitantly, "So, you want to meet your niece?"

It took Willow a second to answer. She was all caught up in the first part of Buffy's comments. The offer of moving didn't suck. Neither she nor Tara was really happy in Cleveland. It had been a good plan at the start, but it was more and more Kennedy's idea of a Slayer Army. And Willow was tired of the paperwork and politics. Who would have thought she'd miss the old days of research parties and doughnuts? "I'd love to meet Tory." The rest could wait until she talked with Tara. "Thank you, Buffy…for not throwing me out after I blew up and for letting me stay a part of your life."

Buffy kissed Willow's cheek. "I could never kick you out of my life. You were my

first friend, and you accepted me as the Slayer without thinking I was a crazy freak." Hoping that repetition would help Willow accept it faster, Buffy murmured, "I hope you can handle me now that I am a mother." She didn't dwell on that, though. Instead, she leaned back and shouted, "Tory!"

Buffy's shout left Willow's ears ringing, but she ignored the pain. She really wanted to get to know Tory. Her niece… About that time, footsteps sounded on the stairs and a blonde bullet streaked their way.

"Mom!" Tory's voice was almost as loud as Buffy's had been.

Willow hunched her shoulders. Goddess, she must have really scared Tory. She looked at Willow as if she'd been trying to fillet Buffy as she launched herself at her mother.

Buffy saw the flying body and pushed Willow to the floor. She snagged Tory out of the air and dumped her on top of Willow. "Tory, this is your Aunt Willow. She is going to teach you how to babble." Spotting Faith lurking at the edge of the couch, she mimicked Tory's jump – right into Faith's arms. "Hi, sexy; I'm hungry. How about you?" Buffy's grin grew. She was giving her own mini tutorial on babbling. That didn't stop her from adding, "And I think I might have a buyer for this place."

"You move fast, B," Faith said with a leer. She felt safe doing that since Tory had her head buried in Willow's neck. "Let's get you fed, though. I remember just how grumpy you get when you don't eat enough. Hey, T? Your mom still got all those yoghurts in the fridge?"

The little blonde head popped up. "Yoghurt? Mom hates that stuff."

Willow started giggling at that and Faith grinned at her. Oh, yeah. She so remembered that conversation, too.

Sensing a sudden gang-up at her expense, Buffy kissed Faith's lips. "Willow, cover Tory's ears," she order, ignoring Tory's pout as Willow's hands clasped the side of her head. "Yes, the yogurts were a big cover for me being a raging nympho. Now, husband, to the kitchen." Laying her head on Faith's shoulder, Buffy enjoyed the laughter from Tara and Willow.

"I knew it," Faith breathed into Buffy's ear. "I knew you were really just like me under all that holier than thou crap."


	10. Chapter 10

Faith got a sharp pinch in the side. "Ow! Be careful with those. I might drop you."

The pizza was cold when they got to the kitchen. Luckily, Scoobies were made of stern stuff (and cast iron stomachs). As everyone got comfortable at the table, Tara turned on the oven and warmed up the first two pizzas. She shoveled more into the oven in rotations as they ate.

Buffy watched as Tory talked up Willow and Tara and reached over and took Faith's hand. "Do you want to give up our bed and camp out in the living room, or make the witches take the couch?"

It was an easy answer. Faith hesitated, though. She really wanted Buffy and privacy. Duh. But this was about family. She was learning that. "Why don't we have a Scooby night? You know, like you and Red used to have? Movies, junk food, hair and nails." Faith almost choked on that last part. "Give Little T a chance to learn how real superheroes and their sidekicks live."

Smiling, Buffy pondered that thought. Tory must have been listening, though, because she turned her head quickly. "Can I give you pigtails, Aunt Faith? Mommy always lets me." She started with the guilt, and Buffy watched with amusement as Tory then shifted to The Face.

"Sorry, Little T. I don't do pigtails." As soon as Faith said that, she made a fatal mistake. She actually looked at Tory. Holy fuck. Her throat dried up. Her mind went mushy. And Faith swore she felt tears fill her eyes at just the thought she'd disappointed Tory. "Of course, you're a special case. Pigtails for one night won't kill me," Faith babbled.

Buffy kissed Faith's cheek. "You thought my puppy dog face was bad. I love you, Faith." Kissing her again, Buffy picked up another piece of pizza. "You do know you'll be getting pig tails, too, don't you?" She enjoyed the flash of fear on Faith's face.

Tory's quivering lip was gone. The little faker. Faith narrowed her eyes. "Careful, Little T. You overuse that, it won't work no more." She leaned in, letting her voice drop to a scary whisper. "And how will you get me to let you do things your mom said no to? Huh?" Then (because she didn't want Tory to get really scared), Faith kissed her cheek.

Buffy was about to call Faith on her statement, but Tara beat her to it. "Please, Faith, you are still falling for Buffy's puppy dog face. You're in deeper trouble with a younger version of it now."

Turning to her smiling daughter, Buffy said, "Hey, sweetie, why don't you go show

Aunt Willow your room while the rest of us clean up?

Tory was up like a shot, dragging Willow up the stairs.

Faith laughed at Willow's wide eyed look. Tory had one hell of a grip and she wasn't taking slow for an answer. They disappeared in seconds. "So, T. You think the gang's going to be OK with the news?" Faith didn't specify _which_ news. She could take her pick with the biggies.

Tara gave her familiar half-smile. "There might be a few more tears and squeals." She probably meant Dawn. "But they love Buffy. And you," she tacked on. She was nice that way. "And Tory will steal their hearts in no time."

Buffy had to smile watching Faith and Tara. She thought Tara was one of the reasons Faith had changed so much. "Tara, I know Will has a thing for romantic novels, but did she pick up 'Forever Love' by Elizabeth Winters?" It was hard to keep a straight face while looking at Faith trying to do the same. Buffy hated to toot her own horn, but she wanted to see the look on Willow's face.

Looking back and forth between Faith and Buffy, Tara tried to figure out what was going on. "Yes, she actually wore out her first copy because she read it so much. Why?"

"Buffy Summers is Elizabeth Winters." It was Buffy before Tara disappeared up the stairs. "In about ten seconds, I'm about to be attacked by a redhead."

Faith laughed as Tara trotted up the stairs. "She looks real upset about that, don't she, B?" She got a peck on the cheek for her comment. "So, Red's gonna be OK with us. The rest of the gang can work out their issues long distance." She slowly raised her eyes to Buffy. "Fang's got a hell of job with my name on it. We got a house in mind." And Faith didn't have a ring. All she had was herself. It would have to do. Dropping to one knee, she said. "I love you, Buffy Summers. Will you marry me?"

"Yes!" Buffy pulled Faith to her feet. "Yes, Faith, I will marry you." Kissing Faith deeply, she only dimly heard someone thunder down the steps. It had to be Willow. Buffy jumped into Faith's arms in the hopes of finding safety. "Hi, Will, is there something you need?"

"_You_ are Elizabeth Winters! I'm best friends with my new favorite romance writer," she babbled before staring at them with her mouth open.

"Uh-huh." Buffy's smile widened. She'd finally made Willow speechless.

"Fuck, Red. B's a superhero. She's saved the world what? A dozen times? And _now_ you lose your voice?" Faith snorted. "That's sad." No way was she going to tell Willow she'd had a similar reaction.

Tara came back down the stairs holding Tory's hand, and it looked natural. "Um, Buffy, someone is eager to get this slumber party started. I won't say who."

"Really? Faith seems fine to me." Buffy winked and got a kiss from Faith. "So, sweetie, which two people do you want to help you?" Whoever Tory didn't pick could check out the videos.

"Aunt Tara and Faith. You and Aunt Willow can line up the 'toons," Tory said, holding out her other hand as Faith put Buffy on the floor.

"So what do I gotta do, Little T?" Faith bounced on my toes. "I ain't been to a slumber party before."

Tory patted Faith's hand gently. "I'm sorry about that, Aunt Faith. I promise to invite you to all _my_ parties." Two arms wrapped around her in a flash then she moved away, all smiles. "We need lots of food." A small finger pointed in Faith's way. "Nothing healthy. Chocolate, chips, candy. And drinks." That she directed at Tara.

Buffy took Willow's hand and headed for the hall closet. They needed blankets and pillows. "What do you think of my little girl?" She piled a few comforters in Willow's arms before grabbing the rest along with a few body pillows.

"She is so much like you while still being her own person. I can't wait watch her grow up," Willow said as they headed for the living room to make the big nest.

It took two trips for all the goodies. Tara then got the pleasure of going upstairs for the hair supplies and nail polishes. Faith grimaced and flopped down onto the couch just as Buffy and Willow came back with the bedding. "Well, I may look like a freak, but my comfort is a bonus." She helped spread the nests onto the floor. "Your kid's got the whole General B thing down pat. Better get hopping on the movies or she just might make you do pushups or something."

Buffy looked at Willow. "Oh, yeah, Faith is going first. Tory can do her hair while you and I paint her fingernails two different colors. We need to show Faith how special a slumber party can be," she said, laughing at the face Faith was making made as she walked over to the DVD shelf.

"What do you think, Buffy? Let Tory pick the colors?" Willow giggled.

"That sounds perfect."

Faith was so screwed. She knew it, and she didn't care. In fact, Faith was fighting off some very un-cool giggles of her own. Her face actually hurt from grinning. Man, this was a blast. "Come on," she pleaded, forcing her voice not to shake with laughter. "You gotta help me. I ain't up to freaky colored nails and some freaky hairdo. Can't I just be the waiter or something? I can carry drinks with the best of them."

Buffy sat down in Faith's lap. "Sweetie, we all know you are the tough girl but you wouldn't want to disappoint Tory by making demands on what you do and don't want to do." Pulling out all the stops, Buffy gave Faith the grown up version of Tory's puppy dog face.

"B…" It came out in a very undignified whine. Buffy's lip stuck out more. Fuck. Faith closed her eyes. It didn't help. She could actually _feel_ the look. "Buffy…"

Keeping her face in the dreaded position, Buffy bet there were tears in Faith's eyes now.

"OK," Faith whispered. "Just please…please stop with the look."

Buffy gave in. Letting her grin peak out, she gave Faith a deep kiss and ran her fingers through Faith's hair.

"Buffy, um..." she heard Willow say behind her.

"They have been doing that since Faith showed up, Aunt Willow. It's normal now," Tory said, giggling as she ended the kiss.

"Hey, sweetie, Faith wants her hair done first," Buffy announced, standing up and wandering over to put the first movie in.

Tory moved to get Faith settled. She hopped onto the couch behind Faith, and Faith tentatively leaned her head onto Tory's legs. Tory grinned down at her. "I promise not to hurt you, Aunt Faith." Faith didn't tell her there were many different kinds of pain. "I just want you to have fun and look good."

"Wicked. Do your best, T," Faith dared her. Swallowing nervously, she closed her eyes and concentrated on the feel of the tiny fingers combing out her hair. Huh. It felt fucking awesome. Maybe this wasn't going to be as bad as she thought.

Willow and Buffy flanked Faith, and Buffy handed Tory a couple colors of nail polish and then pressed play on the remote. "You know, Tory, Tara used to braid my hair. If you aks politely, I'm sure she'd do yours, too."

Tory had the early stages of pigtails done on Faith's hair. "Cool, Mom. If Tara does my hair, you and Aunt Willow can do my nails like Aunt Faith's." She was showing all the hallmarks of hero worship for Faith.

"You got good taste, Little T. I was always trying to tell your mom she needed to be more like me. Too bad she didn't listen." Faith wiggled a little against Tory. All the pulling and tugging on her head was giving her a headache. "Bout done? I'd like to get some grub before the pigs eat it all."

Buffy watched as Tory tied off the ribbons before kissing Faith's cheek. "You're all done," Tory announced.

"My turn!" Buffy shouted. While Tara put Tory in her lap, Buffy grabbed one of the polishes Tory had chosen and she and Willow started on Faith's. "This is like old times, Will. When we're finished here, you can do my hair while I do yours." Remembering Faith's comment about never attending a slumber party, she turned to her. "Faith, do you want to braid Tara's hair or let Tory do it?" Buffy was fairly certain she'd want Tory to do it, but this way Faith wouldn't feel left out.

If they all hadn't been looking at her, expecting her to bow out, Faith would have let Tory do it. But this was a dare, pure and simple. "Have a seat, T. I can't wait to make you as sexy as me." She grinned evilly. Fuck, she knew she looked like a moron. Faith could see the pigtails out of the corners of her eyes. All lopsided and shit. And the nails…Green on the left hand, purple on the right. Her right foot was pink. The other…let's just say that shade of blue wasn't natural.

Once they had made Tory a mini-Faith, Tara sat down in front of Faith and Buffy parked herself in front of Willow. Like always, Tory painted all twenty nails different colors, and when Willow and Buffy switched places, she did the same to Buffy's nails.

It took all three of them, though, to do Tara's nails.

"Now that we all look like sorority rejects, what do you say we concentrate on the first 'Ice Age'?" Buffy asked.

Tory clapped her hands and climbed onto Faith's lap. "Having fun, Aunt Faith?" she whispered in Faith's ear.

Faith nodded. "You bet, Little T. I ain't looked this hot since…well, I can't remember." She hugged Tory with near-Slayer strength. "Thanks for inviting me. If I'da known what I was missing, I never would have let your Mom and Red have these without me."

"Yeah, Tory instead. Since Faith wasn't around, we had them with your Uncle Xander. He isn't as beautiful as she is, but he did look cute all dolled up." Buffy tapped Willow's arm and started laughing at the amount of times he had allowed them to put makeup on him.

Xander in drag. Faith shivered. That was just a little upsetting. She shook off that image and grinned at Tory. "You know, I bet when you meet him, he'll let you give it a try. All you have to do is ask your Aunt Anya about it. She'd _love_ it if her Xander dressed up."

Tory giggled. "You guys are funny. Who knew adults liked the same thing as kids?"

"That's because we _are_ kids, Little T," Faith confessed. Then the movie started and she lost Tory's attention. Oh, well. The little girl felt good in her arms. She hunkered down for some cartoon-y goodness, but…Faith couldn't focus. First she watched Buffy giggling with Willow and Tara. Then she watched Tory and her smile. Damn. Life was good. Leaning her head back on the edge of the couch, Faith finally got comfortable.

Buffy felt Faith's utter joy through their Slayer bond as she put her arm around Faith to pull bring her girls closer. She smiled wider, seeing the way Tory had burrowed into Faith's chest. Somebody (like Faith) was going to discover the joy of being Tory's bed. Although, knowing her daughter, Tory would probably be laid across all four of them.

The movie was cute. Faith laughed with Tory, enjoying her giggles even more than some of the lame jokes. By the end, though, Tory was like a big sack of potatoes with tentacles. Snores rumbled through Faith's chest and Tory's breath tickled her throat. She looked at Buffy with a silent request for help.

Buffy saw Faith wanted help so she removed Tory's arms from around her and rolled Tory on top of her. Sliding down to the floor, Buffy got closer to the nest of blankets; the sleepies were catching up to her. Luckily, Tory had a play date in the morning. She could spend the day with her friends, leaving the adults to discuss things as a group.

Faith climbed to her feet and got rid of all the party trash and leftovers. A quick check of the house, and she was back for bedtime. She smiled. Buffy and Tory were already asleep. Willow and Tara were cuddled close by, talking softly. Winking at Tara, she snuggled under the blankets with her two Summers. Perfect. Warm, safe, and hers.


	11. Chapter 11

Buffy woke up to a hand on her face. Glancing around, she noticed Tory lay lengthwise across her, head on Faith's stomach, while her legs stretched over both Willow and Tara. Buffy, of course, was pinned down by the weight of her daughter's chest and stomach. "I spawned an octopus," she mumbled – supposedly to herself.

Then she heard Willow whisper to Tara, "It's a Summers thing."

That did it. Buffy chuckled and mock glared. "Yes, Willow, we all sleep funny, but you love us anyway." She managed to free an arm and reached over to squeeze Willow's shoulder.

"Shaddup, all of you. It's too fuc-" Faith stopped and cleared her throat. "It's too freaking early to be awake." Not even opening her eyes, she grabbed the blanket tangled around the body pinning her to the floor and covered them up again.

Unfortunately, all Faith's grumpy comment earned were more giggles. Damn it.

Prying one eye open, Faith glared at a grinning Willow. "Are you ever _not_ giddy? It's beyond irritating."

Buffy laughed harder. "Yeah, she can be extra peppy if you give her too much coffee. If I were you, Faith, I'd thank my lucky stars you got the end you did. Tara and Willow have Tory's knees and feet." She groaned dramatically for effect when Tory began to shift.

"Why are you guys up? It's still too early," Tory grumped before rolling against Faith completely.

Faith grunted as all of Tory's weight landed on her. At least the kid had the right idea – more sleep. She shifted until Tory lay next to her, rather than on top. Much better. "Night," Faith mumbled, wrapping her arms protectively around Tory.

"Night," Tory's tiny voice came back.

Now that she wasn't being used as a pillow, Buffy rolled toward Willow and Tara. Tara wrapped her arms around Buffy – and Buffy promptly burrowed into the warmth and fell back asleep.

This is the way it is supposed to be. Her family here. Together.

The next time Faith woke up, her bladder insisted she get upright in a hurry. Unfortunately, her tiny octopus was back. Struggling with the arms wrapped around her, Faith tried to sit up. As soon as she untangled one arm and started on the next, though, the first arm reattached itself. "Hey, Little T, let me up," she hissed in Tory's ear. Things were getting urgent here. She tried two more times before giving up and simply taking Tory with her, nearly running for the bathroom.

Ignoring the byplay, Buffy stretched and yawned before rolling over. "Okay, I'm too old for

sleepovers unless it's on a huge bed." She scowled when when Willow and Tara simply laughed at her.

"Check, Buffy. We'll make sure to get a huge bed when we find a house here," Willow said, giving Buffy her classic smile.

For her part, Buffy made a happy "Eep," and jumped on top of both witches.

Down the hall, Faith finally got Tory unwound and set her on the floor outside the bathroom. While she was there, Faith took a few minutes to brush out the rat's nest she'd picked up and swished some Listerine around in case Buffy wanted a good morning kiss. Then she ducked out and grabbed Tory off the floor. Damned kid was still out like a light.

She heard Buffy and the girls before they got back. Faith grinned. She loved the sound of Buffy's laughter. "Morning, ladies. Sorry we weren't there to say hello." Faith carefully maneuvered them back onto the floor and tucked Tory in before edging closer to Buffy.

As soon as Faith got comfortable, Buffy curled closer to her. "Don't worry. We didn't miss you at all," she teased. Then, seeing Faith's pout, Buffy relented. She dropped a quick kiss on Faith's lips in apology. "Tory has a play date with her friends today, so I figured we could work on figuring out how to handle the rest of the gang." In case anyone didn't follow the vague comment, Buffy tilted her head in her daughter's direction.

Tara responded with a raised eyebrow and reached over to squeeze her hand. "We all love you Buffy. The Scoobies will love Tory, too." She sighed, though, and her expression grew more serious. "It will be a surprise, and it might take awhile for the hurt feelings to fade. Willow and I will be here for you, Buffy. We'll help however we can."

"You're staying?" Faith keyed into the last part of the conversation. She had no doubt the Scoobies would make life hard for Buffy – for all of ten minutes. As for Willow and Tara being _here_… Faith looked at Tara for confirmation. When Tara nodded, Faith bit back a groan and pulled Buffy into her arms. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. Buffy would be over the moon. She and Willow still had issues, and Faith was tired of being Willow's Slayer Slave. "Cool." Her voice lacked conviction.

Buffy stood and held out a hand to Willow. "Let's start breakfast." This had gone on long enough. Not giving her oldest friend a chance to back out, she bent down and gripped Willow's right hand and pulled her to her feet.

The trip to the kitchen was quiet.

Once the door closed behind them, Buffy pushed Willow onto a stool. "I don't know what your relationship with Faith has been since I've been gone." She barely resisted slamming the pots and pans onto the stovetop. "But it has to change. Now. Faith and I have Tory to worry about, and I can't waste time wondering if you're in the guest room about to kill each other."

Since when did Buffy get all commander-y outside of an apocalypse? Willow hopped off the stool and started digging through the cabinets, looking for plates and silverware. "You know, Buffy, Faith and I have been doing just fine. We don't see much of each other, I guess, but we don't argue like we used to." Right. That wasn't quite the truth. Frowning, Willow pulled a stack of plates down. They didn't argue, but…was that because Willow never gave Faith a chance to say anything?

Buffy started putting the pancakes on the griddle before relaxing enough to smile at Willow. "I'm just checking, Will. Being a mom has made me more protective. Sorry for the Bossy Buffy."

"No, I understand." Willow set the table as she continued to explain. "I've just never thought about it. Since she came back, Faith has really been a team player. Maybe I've pushed her too hard. I don't know. She never said anything. Never complained. Just smirked and said, 'more Council crap for me to take care of Red?'" Moving closer to Buffy, she leaned against the counter and crossed her arms. "This last time, I was pretty upset when I sent her after you. I told her to bring you back no matter what." Willow felt herself blushing. "There might have been a threat or two involved."

Turning away from the cooking food, Buffy lifted up Willow's chin. Voice mostly teasing, she said, "Then let me make a threat for you. The next time you piss Faith off, you are on your own. Tred lightly." She released Willow and went back to the pancakes, removing two golden brown circles and pouring two more onto the griddle surface. "Aren't you concerned about eating my food?"

"What?" Willow jerked back. "Food?" Who was thinking of food? She was thinking about that comment regarding Faith. "You wouldn't really let Faith come after me? Buffy, I'm a witch. She'd never even get close to me." Staring at Buffy in shock, Willow tried to make sense of things. She was (mostly) fine with Buffy dating Faith…even marrying her. But when had Buffy's allegiance shift so dramatically?

Buffy tented foil over the pancakes before starting the eggs, bacon, and sausage. "It's not a choice, Will. It's not you versus Faith. We're not teenagers anymore. Faith atoned for her crimes. I'm just making sure my wife and my best friend can get along because my priorities are different now." She kept an eye on the food and Willow to make sure both were fine.

"I'll talk to her, Buffy." Willow was ashamed of the way things had gone after Sunnydale. They'd all fallen back into old habits, especially her and Giles. "I'm sorry if I made this visit hard for you. I just wanted to make sure you were doing OK." She wrapped Buffy in a big hug. "Missed you so much while you were here."

Buffy returned the hug. "Like I told Faith, I knew you guys were in good place, and I never thought I would see Tory again. It made sense to come to LA now. I promise I was going to come to Cleveland after the school year, though. You beat me to it." Not wanting the conversation to end on a bad note, Buffy added softly, "We're good, Will."

***

Faith watched Buffy leave and hoped like hell the two of them weren't going to be talking about her. It was a lame hope. "You think Red and B are in there fighting? 'Cause I don't want to be the reason they ain't friends anymore." Although, it felt good to know Buffy might do that for her.

With a chuckle, Tara shook her head. "No, I think Buffy is simply letting Willow know the score, Faith. You and Tory are the most important things in her life now. Willow needs to understand that." In a conspiratorial whisper, she confided, "Once we move, I'm planning on marrying her and keeping her barefoot and pregnant. Willow needs to slow down - if not retire, too." Tara was comfortable confiding her plans and she enjoyed the new happiness flowing around her aura.

"Good." Faith grinned at Tara. "How many you planning on having? Me and B were thinking two or three." She said it to shock, but maybe kids wouldn't be so bad. She had a family now. People who actually gave a fuck about her. They would help if things got too much or Faith started to freak.

"Two or three sounds good, maybe four, though. It is definitely something we are going to talk about. Rumor has it, Anya is already pregnant." Tara stopped as she caught a whiff of food. "Um, who's cooking breakfast? That smells good."

"B," Faith said. The baby talk hadn't set Tara back – but this did. Faith smirked, enjoying Tara's wide eyed expression. "She ain't like she used to be. She cooks and cleans. She even drives. Buffy's been learning how to be a mom and not a Slayer." Faith looked at Tara. "I like the changes, T. A lot. She's what she should have been if the Council hadn't fucked up her life. I ain't letting her get sucked back in. She's done. I'll be the one working for Angel, not B."

Tara patted Faith's arm, marveling at her protective streak of Buffy. "She isn't the only one

who changed, Faith. You haven't been here long, but you already have taken the Mama mantle with Tory. I like it." She wrapped an arm around Faith, looking down at the littlest Summers. "She is a cutie, isn't she?

"She's way older than her age, T." Faith leaned against her, feeling at home. Tara had always treated her like a person and not an ex-con. "Sometimes, I look at her and I see Mrs. S staring back. Then she blinks and she's all little kid again. B's done a hell of a job with her, and I'm lucky they're letting me be a part of their lives."

Tara pulled Faith closer. "I think if things were different, you would have been together sooner. This was always your home, Faith. You both just needed to find your way here." To keep from sending Faith into a panic at all the emotion, Tara changed the subject. "How about we wake up Tory and see what our girls are up to?" She poked at Tory, making sure Faith was between her and the little girl in case she woke up with the same exuberance as she used for hugs.

"Coward," Faith mumbled, realizing she was the only one in the line of fire. Luckily, Tory woke up without any problems. Faith grinned as she yawned and rubbed her eyes. "Morning, Little T. Your mom and Red have breakfast for us. Ready to eat and then go do some serious playing?"

She was non-verbal and just nodded and held out her arms.

"You're killing me, munchkin." Picking Tory up, Faith tossed her in the air. That got her voice going. They probably heard her in the Midwest. When Tory landed in Faith's arms, she ignored the death glare and bounced into the kitchen doing her best Tigger imitation.

"What the..." Willow said as Buffy put the food onto the table.

"Faith insists on tossing Tory around, so when Tor gets her payback, I laugh. Faith, of course, pretends she doesn't understand what's funny. They are cute together, aren't they?" The Trio walked by, and Buffy held up a hand to halt their progress. "Wash your hands before sitting

down."

"Yes, Mom," a chorus of voices rang out as Willow giggled.

All washed up, Faith dropped Tory into her chair before taking her own. "Smells good, B. Did Red faint when she saw you touch the stove?"

Tara snickered and hid behind her hair.

Faith held her breath and watched Willow intently.

"No. Since you didn't come running to save us, I figured it must be one more change for Buffy. Are there others?" Willow cocked an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I drive now, too," Buffy interrupted. "Oh, I'm not blond either." Trying for casual, she didn't look at anyone and took a seat next to Faith.

"I knew that in high school," Willow said wryly as she, Tara, and Tory started filling their plates. "Remember…showers, Buff. The carpet _quite_ match the drapes."

Buffy stuck out her lower lip for a second before laughing. "Ah, well. Compared to the daughter and the driving, I guess that wasn't such a big deal anyway."

Faith listened the good-natured teasing and filled her plate so that she had eight pancakes surrounded by eggs, bacon, and sausage. Frowning in concentration, she poured the syrup so it pooled in the center and didn't run over the edge and ruin the rest of the food. Syrup was for pancakes – not eggs. Faith was doing just fine. The syrup was holding.

"Aunt Faith, what are you doing?"

Faith's hand jerked and her eggs turned brown and sticky. "Nothing much, Little T," she lied as she thunked the bottle down. "Just decorating my plate, that's all." Picking up her fork, Faith took a bite and tried not to grimace at the taste.

Buffy had to smile – and then leaned over to kiss Faith. "Sweetie, you do know that it

all goes to the same place?" She slathered her own plate with syrup and started eating. "Tory, is it okay if Aunt Tara and Aunt Willow come with us? We want to make plans for your 'surprise' party."

"Of course, Mom, it will be more people to introduce to my friends." Tory beamed before going back to her food.

Feeling put upon, Faith glared a little at Buffy's stupid comment. Of course she knew all the food ended up together in her stomach. It didn't make it taste any better. Faith shoveled the food in, trying to simply swallow without chewing. By the time she was finished, the food sat in her stomach like a syrup coated rock. "Mind if I hit the shower while you guys eat?" Chewing must take a lot longer than swallowing. No one else was even close to finished. "I'll do the clean up in here when I'm done."

Buffy reached over and took Faith's hand. "No, Tara and I will do the clean up while Willow entertains her niece and makes sure she gets dressed." She didn't know if Faith was trying to show Willow she was more. It didn't matter. Buffy wasn't going to let her overdo it.

"Sounds good, B." Faith kissed her and winked at Tory before running up the stairs. Since Buffy wasn't with her, it didn't take very long to wash and dry. She _did_ make an extra effort to look less Faith-y, though. She dragged my hair into a ponytail to hide the 'just fucked' look and didn't use any make up. Her clothes…Faith wore some of her new ones. Just jeans and a T. It was going to be pretty warm in the park.

Dressed and ready for the New Scoobies, Faith hustled downstairs to help Buffy and Tara. "Hey, ladies. I'm raring to go. What do you need me to do?"


	12. Chapter 12

"Just entertain Tory while the rest of us get changed." Buffy hopped over and kissed Faith before heading upstairs. She quickly changed into jeans and a T-shirt before barreling back down the steps. As she hit the landing, she called out, "Everybody to the Buffymobile!" She met Willow's eyes. "If you dare."

"Buffy, that is just wrong," Willow complained as they trouped outside. "It's too early to be in an accident."

"We need front row seats for the Willow and Buffy show, Little T." Once they all got outside, Faith left Buffy with the witches and sprinted for the car with Tory in her arms. "Shotgun!" Of course, Tory got shotgun because of it wasn't safe for her to sit on Faith's lap. She buckled Tory in and took the seat right behind her. She had a good view of Buffy and Faith could poke and play with Tory on the drive.

Buffy waited until everybody was safely buckled in to start to car. "Relax, Will, Wesley taught me, so you know I can drive." Giving Willow a wink in the mirror, she enjoyed the sound of her best friend's laughter. "Next stop, the park."

Damn, Buffy wasn't any fun. There were no hard stops. No fake swerves across the yellow line or toward the curb. Faith would have to amuse herself. Reaching over the back of the seat, she poked she finger into Tory's ear. She was nice…she hadn't licked it first.

From her vantage point, Buffy saw Tory swat at her ear and knew Faith was messing with Tory. Faith had asked for it. As far as Buffy was concerned, if Tory's friends needed an adult, Faith had volunteered herself. She seemed to be in kid mode. "See, Will, no more spaz Buffy behind the wheel," she said softly, resuming their conversation. "But when Xander and Dawn go driving with us, we'll mess with them." She decided to give Willow a break as she carefully pulled into the park parking lot.

Tory ran for the park the second the car stopped moving. Now Faith needed another target. She frowned, glancing between Willow and Tara. Which witch? Definitely Willow. She needed to loosen up and meet the real Faith. As they followed Tory, Faith bent and peered at Willow's shirt. "Hey, Red, what's this? I think you got a spot."

Willow was such an innocent. She grabbed her shirt, pulled it away from her body, and bent her head toward Faith's fingers.

That was Faith's signal. She snapped her fingers up and popped Willow right under the nose. "Gotcha!" She took off at a dead run after Tory.

Before Buffy had a chance to laugh, Willow took off for Faith. "Thank the Goddess; those two need to act like kids." Knowing she was safe from any hassle as she watched Faith bebopping through the park with Willow in pursuit, Buffy linked her arm through Tara's.

"Faith is right about something, Buffy. The new you is definitely who you were meant to be. I'm glad we get to meet her, and I'm sure the others will be, too. And they'll love Tory from the start," Tara commented softly as they wandered over to meet Tory's friends' parents.

Faith was unaware of the serious friend bonding between Buffy and Tara. She was laughing so hard, Willow nearly caught her a couple of times. Dodging kids, parents, and dogs with Frisbees, Faith kept going. Eventually, Willow would give up or pass out. It took longer than Faith thought it would, though, and she was sucking some serious wind by the time Willow dropped to the ground and waved her surrender. Faith staggered over and dropped down a few feet away. "Take that, evil witch," she gasped out.

Buffy laughed as she watched Faith and Willow. Bumping Tara's shoulder as they sat on a bench after the Parent Meeting, she said, "Great, I'll be carrying Tory while dragging Faith behind me. At least they will sleep good."

"But they look so cute," Tara responded, standing and taking Buffy's hand. "Come on. Let's go join them. We're not old fogies."

As Buffy and Tara made their way closer, Willow regarded Faith with a teasing scowl. "I'm not evil. Not anymore," she said, sucking in air just like Faith.

Faith chuckled. "Yeah, well, neither am I, Red." Rolling over, she propped her head on her hand. "Think you can remember that from now on?" Faith was tired of feeling like she was on parole with Willow.

Willow turned her head and met Faith's eyes. "I'm trying." Her lips twisted in a kind of smile. "I've spent so much time not liking you, I have to work at it." She held out a hand. "Truce?"

"Truce." Faith linked their fingers.

"Perfect," Buffy breathed, seeing the scene between Willow and Faith. "Now…" It was time for her own fun. She smacked Tara's arm. "You're it," she called as she took off running. "You better get up, slackers!" Cackling wildly, Buffy passed by the duo on the ground and headed for Tory and her friends.

"Did she just call us slackers?" Faith asked, already on her way up.

Willow was crawling off the ground, too. "She did. We need to punish her for that."

Faith laughed. Willow had the attitude, even if she couldn't back it up. She could barely stand. "Tell ya' what. You stay here in case she comes back this way. I'll try to head her off from the other direction." Faith didn't wait for Willow's answer. She just took off after her sexy and giggling girl.

The gaggle of girls on the playground scattered as Buffy came near them. Faith, for some reason, was chasing after her while Tara chased the kids. Willow brought up the rear, finally rousing herself to chase Buffy, too. "All this because I called you slackers," she complained with a grin. "Come and get me, sweetie."

Tomorrow, Faith vowed, she was so starting an exercise program. Buffy wasn't even breathing hard as Faith forced her leaden legs to keep moving. It hurt to breath. Hell, it hurt to _think_ about breathing. "I'll get you, B. Just you wait…" she called out. It might have been more effective if she wasn't gasping so heavily.

Hearing the strain in Faith's voice, Buffy changed course and ran to Faith, scooping her up and spinning her around. "I love you, Faith. So much. You chased me for so long, I'm glad you finally caught me." She glanced over and saw Tara was still with the little girls "She definitely has the mom gene," Buffy commented as she switched Faith from her arms to a piggyback position and returned to the group.

Buffy's words had Faith blinking back tears. Must be the exhaustion, she told myself – not the warm, mushy feeling in her chest. Trying to hold onto her emotional control, Faith hunted for a distract – and found one. Tory was on the monkey bars, moving like a Marine recruit on the obstacle course. The kid was amazing. "We have to get her trained, B, even if she never Slays anything more dangerous than a frozen dinner. Look at her. We were never that good."

Buffy didn't want Tory anywhere near the slaying, but that might cause problems. Maybe training was the way to go. "We'll let her beat up on Gunn and Angel in their training room. I usually train there once or twice a week while Tory is at school. We can take Tory with us when summer starts." She let Faith off her back and took her hand. "Thank you for burying things with Willow."

"'Bout time we grew up, huh, B?" Faith grinned and kissed Buffy's knuckles. "I'm gonna be Fang's new training guru. I'll make sure the boys treat Little T right. I swear it, B. No way is she getting into the family business. Once we get the new place, we'll set up a training room there. That way, you and me can do the training. Just simple stuff. That tai chi stuff, some kendo, and meditating so she don't end up crazy like me."

Buffy started laughing as sheI pictured something funny. "We should let Giles teach her kendo. I want to see him censor himself when he doesn't block properly. We could sell tickets."

"You are so bad, B. So very bad." Faith could see it, too. Giles, bent double, hands clutching his thighs so he didn't embarrass himself by gripping his crushed testicles and penis. One Dear Lord after another filling the training room. "Could retire on just the take from the Scoobies and the Juniors."

"You like my bad side, don't you?" Buffy teased, bumping Faith's hip as Tory came running toward them. "Brace for impact!"

"Mom, Candace is having a sleepover tonight. May I go?" she asked excitedly.

Buffy got excited, too, thinking about the fun she and Faith could have with Tory out of the house. "Sure, sweetie, you can have a slumber party with your friends tonight."

"Cool. What's a slumber party like?" Faith asked. It wasn't liked she'd ever been to one. Did the night before count? "Do you do stuff like we did last night?"

Tory nodded. "Oh, yeah. And you can't ever fall asleep first," Tory told her seriously.

Faith looked at Buffy. "Why not? Is there some kind of rule?"

Buffy had to laugh. "It's not a rule, but what do you think happens if you fall asleep first when everyone else is still awake?" Although, she thought, it did depend on your circle of friends how bad things could get.

"I don't know. Do they take pictures of you drooling on your pillow?" Faith asked.

Tory giggled. "No, Aunt Faith. Worse than that. They put your hand in a bowl of warm water so you have to go to the bathroom really bad."

She was joking. Even kids weren't that mean. "Pull the other one, kid. I'm on to you. Maybe I should come to this thing tonight just to take notes or something."

"Fraid so, sweetie. It's a hazing ritual in all sleepovers. And you can't go with Tory. I was thinking you and I could have our own sleepover." Buffy watched Faith closely as she put Tory down so she could give the good news to Candace. "But if you want to play chaperone, I guess it is just me and Miss Goodvibe tonight."

"You really thought I'd hang out with a group of kids instead of you?" Faith raised an eyebrow. "You been hit in the head a few times too many, B. Should I take you to the doctor so he can check you out?"

"Maybe Dr. Faith should make a house call and check me out," Buffy murmured, kissing the side of Faith's neck, "thoroughly."

"Always wanted one of them white coats." They really needed to do a shopping run. "What about Big T and Red? They still staying at the house? 'Cause Red may need lessons – but she ain't getting them from us."

"I think they have spells to shut out the noise, but we'll find out what they want to do. I'm not kicking our friends to the curbs for some slap and tickle fun." Buffy kissed the ring on Faith's finger. "We'll have the rest of our lives for that."

Hearing the slang from Buffy made Faith giggle – and helped her ignore the new burning in her eyes at Buffy's final comment. "You gotta stop with the street talk, B. From me, it sounds cool. You? It don't go well with the California girl image." She squeezed Buffy's hand to let her know she was teasing. "We also need to do some adult shopping. That doctor thing…want me to get some props?" Not to mention the pony girl scenario Buffy had started in her head.

"So I can't pull off 'five by five', either?" Buffy snickered at the look she received at that. "Let's explain our plan to the witches and see what they want to do." _She_ really wanted to know what kind of toys Dr. Faith needed.

"You want to tell the girls that we plan on fucking each other until we both pass out?" Faith looked at Buffy like she was crazy – because she was. "They don't need to know that. Let's just see what the girls want to do first. Then, if we don't have any options, we mention we'll be locking ourselves in your room and not to bother us unless Little T needs us."

They strolled up to the girl, noticing for the first time that Willow and Tara were somewhat…involved. As soon as she and Faith drew nearer, they split apart. "We're going to get a room tonight," a flushed Willow announced.

"Okay, Tory is having a sleepover, too. Faith and I are going to 'knit' because Faith can sew like nobody's business." Buffy smirked as Willow's face grew closer to match the color of her hair.


	13. Chapter 13

"Knitting, huh?" Despite the blush, Willow raised an eyebrow at Buffy.

And that was enough to convince Faith that getting a room was the best course of action. She wanted to spend the night…knitting with Buffy. Not listening to Willow tease and torment them both. Of course, Faith still had to poke at Willow. "You and T need some privacy, or what?" She grinned at Willow. "Me and B were talking about trying a foursome, weren't we, B?"

"Yeah, Faith is interested in getting a look at your charms." Buffy played along, giggling until Willow punched her shoulder. "Ow! I was kidding, Wil."

The sound of Tory bounding down the stairs interrupted their play.

"Oh yeah, she is definitely a Summers. They all gallop down stairs," Tara smirked as Buffy reached out to poke her.

Tory looked back and forth between the adults. "Want me to go back upstairs and pack again? I mean, Mom tells me to do that when she doesn't want me to hear her conversations."

Faith snickered. "You're too smart, Little T. Got your mom and me beat by a mile." She held open her arms and Tory jumped into them. With a Slayer bellow, Faith tossed the little girl (and her bag) up into the air and snatched her back. "Let's get you to this sleeping thing; I'm tired all of a sudden."

Buffy hooked her arms around Tara and Willow as they headed for the door. "You guys don't need to get a room. 'Cause I could go for some of Tara's pancakes for breakfast."

"She has a point, Willow." Smiling, Tara took Willow's hand. "We are all grownups; we'll stay." With her free hand, she took the house keys from Buffy.

"Make yourself at home." Buffy skipped ahead, calling over her shoulder, "Just make sure I don't see any Tara boobies when I get home. It would scar me." She avoided a smack from Tara as she ran to catch up to Faith and Tory.

Faith gave Buffy a long look when she jogged up. They were staying. Whoo fucking hoo. She really wanted to hear Willow moan and scream. Well, they hear her and Buffy, too. The only thing Faith said, though, was, "Hop in, Little T."

"Are you and Mom going to look at that house in the morning, Aunt Faith?" Tory was bouncing in the seat when Faith climbed into the back. "Can you wait until I get home? I really want to see it, too."

Even before Buffy looked back, she knew Tory was using The Face. "Yes, we'll wait for you before we go house hunting. That way you can pick your bedroom." She caught Tory's smile in the rearview mirror. "Let's get the show on the road, baby."

Thanks to Tory's 'special' school, it felt like Buffy drove for hours. It might just have been because Faith was raring to go shopping and then hit the bedroom for a night of heavy sex, though.

Tory tried to keep Faith entertained on the way. "Aunt Faith, did I ever tell you about the first day I met Mom?"

Faith had been lost in images of giving Buffy a full-body exam. Even that paled next to tales of Buffy Meets Tory. "Nah. You musta forgot that one." She turned in the seat so she could watch Tory as she talked. "Spill, kid. I need all the ammo on your mom I can get."

Tory was lucky Buffy was driving. It made it harder to stall the story. "How can you remember that, sweetie? You were, like, a minute old."

Buffy got stereo snorts for that comment. "Please, Mom. I meant when you came to see me a few months ago."

The kid had that tone down. It was like having a little Mrs. Summers in the front seat. "Hurry up, T. If you don't start talking as fast as Red, I won't get to hear it all." And Faith was willing to bet that's what Buffy was hoping.

"Go ahead, sweetie," Buffy muttered. She just wanted to get this over with.

"She spent about half hour outside the house just pacing before coming to the door. I think she was nervous about how I going to react to her coming back." Buffy felt Tory's hand touch her shoulder. "Grandma and Grandpa gave me a picture of Mom, and I knew I was going to meet her again. Then I found out I have oodles of family."

Faith could see Buffy in her head, biting her lip (like she was doing now), pacing back and forth in front of the house. "Well, you two are my family now, too, T. Gotta say, if I hadn't been so mad at your Aunt Willow, I mighta done a little pacing of my own. I thought your mom might lay me out the first time she saw me."

Tory started laughing, and Buffy smiled at the sound. "Please, Faith. Mom talked about you all the time. I thought I was going to have to track you down myself."

"It wasn't that bad, Tor," Buffy protested lamely.

Now Faith sensed an even better story. Of course, Buffy must have stomped on the gas because she whipped up to the curb and slammed on the breaks.

When the seatbelt released and Faith could breathe again, she said, "Let me guess. We're here."

Tory giggled. "Yep." She worked on the buckles of her kid seat. "Mom drives kinda fast. Grandma used to refuse to ride with her."

"That was one thing your grandmothers had in common," Buffy admitted, giggling as Tory leaned over to kiss and hug her and Faith. "Be good, sweetie. And who knows, you may have more family waiting for you when you get home." She hoped not, but with the Scoobies it was hard to predict.

"'K, Mom. I'll call you when I'm ready to come home, and Aunt Faith? Take care of Mom," Tory said, giving Faith a stern look.

Faith hoped like hell Tory didn't have any idea just how she planned to take care of Buffy. "I will, T. You got my word."

She nodded and took off. Buffy waited at the curb until the door opened and Tory went inside.

As soon as it closed, Faith tore the kid seat out and dove into the front with Buffy. "Step on it, baby. I want to get my tools and get you home for that visit to the doctor. Your kid told me to take care of you, and I aim to keep my word."

Buffy reached over and took Faith's hand. "I always knew you could take care of me, Faith. I just never realized that it would ever happen." Pulling away from the curb, she made a beeline for the adult shop.

"Well, it is happening, B. You'd need to go all Slayer Prime to get me to leave now." Faith kissed her hand and settled in for the trip. Thanks to their bond, she could close her eyes and just soak up the way Buffy felt. She'd missed that so much. Faith must have dozed as she drifted in a Buffy Haze. The next think she knew, Buffy was poking her and the car was in the lot of the XXX Palace.

"Come on, Dr. Faith, we need to get you all kinds of probes to examine me with." Buffy climbed out of the car and ran around to the other side, pulling Faith out.

Faith shook her head and climbed out of the car, holding Buffy's hand. Her nose twitched. "We gotta fucking get Willow to show us how to shop for this online, B. The smells…" Maybe she'd gotten soft, but the place reeked of urine and cum and body odor. They needed to shop fast.

The dark interior held promise – as long as Faith held my breath. It was well stocked and cleaner than most places. It must be the private booths down the stairs that smelled so bad. "You check out the probes, Patient Buffy. I'll go find just the right uniform."

Not wasting any time, Buffy quickly located a selection of dildos and compatible harnesses. Faith had been right. They needed to do this online. Adult stores were always disgusting.

The uniform selection wasn't as good as the actual toys. Faith dug through the cheesy cheerleader and slave girl crap. There was only one nurse uniform and it must have been made for Barbie. Fuck. Faith held it up and considered. It would have to work. She'd gotten all wound up over the image. Even if the thing gaped over her tits and popped at the seams over her ass, she'd make it work.

Buffy headed to where she felt Faith and showed her the goodies she had found. "We need more lube, too," she said, reaching out to snag a couple tubes on a nearby display. "And we need to get out of here before we pick up an STD." Her eyes fell on the uniform in Faith's hands and she smiled. No way was Faith fitting into that thing. Buffy vowed to check with Tara for her and Willow's favorite sites.

"I think you need a little more personal contact to get an STD, B," Faith teased. After she paid for their stuff, they headed for the car. "Shower and then I'll meet you in exam room one?"

The drive home was much quicker. Buffy was motivated, after all. As they walked into the house, hand in hand, Buffy smiled as she felt the ward that the wiccans had put up. Apparently, she and Faith weren't the only ones playing tonight. At least there was no worry about hearing her best friend in the throes of passion. "Why don't you wash the toys while you shower, love?"

"My pleasure, babe." Kissing Buffy roughly, Faith took the bag with the toys and new clothes and loped up the stairs to the bathroom. The need to hurry warred with the need to be clean. Faith gave in to clean. Buffy wasn't going to run away if she took an extra couple of minutes to scrape the filth of the store off. Once she and the toys were squeaky clean, Faith dried off and put on her new 'suit.'

Looking in the mirror, she frowned. She looked worse than a reject from a porn set. Faith and Barbie obviously didn't share the same measurements. In that uniform, Faith gave new meaning to cleavage, and she'd have to remember not to bend too far forward or the girls would be out completely – and so would her ass as the butt of the miniscule skirt split open.

Pushing that all aside, Faith made her way to Buffy's room.

When Faith closed and locked the door, Buffy felt a ward go up around the room. Willow and Tara must have set it up before locking themselves away. She would have laughed, but the sight of Faith in the nurse's uniform put her mental train on a different thought. "Nurse Faith, I seem to have this itch," Buffy purred, giving a sultry and splaying her legs wide open. "It's around this area. Can you take a look?"

The crappy uniform suddenly wasn't important. Tearing her eyes away from Buffy's gaping legs and the drenched folds of her sex, Faith strolled over. "Can you tell me a little bit more about this itch? When did you first notice it?" She sat down next to Buffy and picked up her right arm, holding two fingers over her pounding pulse. "Hmmm, this seems a little fast."

Buffy smiled sweetly as Faith's touch increased the pool of wetness between her legs. "It started when this beautiful and sexy woman told me she loved me. In fact, she looks an awful lot like you."


	14. Chapter 14

Buffy's innocent smile looked suspiciously like a smirk for a moment. "In fact, she looks an awful lot like you. Do I need pills or some sort of probe to check the situation out?"

"Pills won't help," Faith purred. Leaning closer, she started squeezing Buffy's chest (and her breasts, of course). "Well, before we start probing anything, let's just make sure the rest of you is healthy." She was having a blast. Buffy's nipples were so hard she could probably cut diamonds with them. Faith bit back a grin at the pants and near moans tearing from Buffy. "Did that hurt, Miss?"

"God, no." Buffy groaned. She knew by the time Faith's 'physical' of her was over, she was going to pop. If she lasted that long. "The way I'm starting to feel, you were smart to do a full body search." Buffy's voice was deeper and full of desire, and she could now smell Faith's arousal from their role playing.

Buffy was so hot, Faith was surprised her skin wasn't burning. "Please tell the truth, Miss." She squeezed a little harder this time. "Does this hurt?" Her own breathing rasped and her voice was husky.

"Nooooooooooooo," Buffy drew out as her first climax hit.

Faith watched her, loving the way Buffy looked as she came for me. "Thank you," Faith choked out. Herhands slid lower, caressing Buffy's quivering stomach muscles. "Does it hurt when I do this?" She dropped her head quickly and sucked on the area next to her right hand.

"No-o-o-o," Buffy stuttered, her second climax already building. By the time Faith reached her core, Buffy was going to be a soaked mess.

This was so much fun. Almost laughing, Faith pulled away and admired the love bite she'd just left. "What about here?" She worked on creating a matching mark on the other side of Buffy's stomach.

"No." Buffy climaxed again and could tell by the way her body was responding that it wasn't going to take much for a third.

"OK then." Faith couldn't keep this up for much longer. She wanted Buffy too badly. "Let's take a look at the spot that itches." She wiggled down so that she could open Buffy's lips with her fingers. Soon, she had Buffy's clit in her mouth, 'checking' it with her tongue.

Buffy threw her head back as Faith's mouth and tongue worked over her clit. "Yes, fucking, yes," she shouted, gripping the sheets until her knuckles were white.

"I think I should get that probe now." Before they were both too gone to remember them. Rolling away, Faith feverishly dragged the harness over her uniform and tightened the buckles. The double dildo snapped into place and she liberally poured lube down the length of the anal probe. "Turn over, Miss. I need you on your hands and knees for this."

Buffy shakily turned over before arching her butt.

Until Faith's two cocks slid into Buffy with ease, she'd been worried. The one dildo was huge. She started a hard and fast rhythm. Buffy was already up several orgasms. She wouldn't last for long…not stuffed like this.

"Oh, God, Faith!" Buffy screamed at the top of her lungs as Faith plowed both of her entrances. Her body began shuddering and shaking until it started to shut down. Her vision grew fuzzy. "I love you." It was the last thing Buffy managed before everything went black.

Faith felt Buffy slump and got in one more good thrust. The friction from the base of the dildo on her clit pushed Faith over the edge right along with Buffy. Biting her lip as she climaxed, Faith grabbed Buffy and gently lowered her to the bed. Once Faith had stopped shaking, she pulled out and unharnessed. It took all her energy to stagger out of the bedroom and into the bathroom for cleaning supplies. She cleaned them both and then dropped the dildos into the shallow tub bowl of water for later. Faith lay down next to Buffy and took her in her arms. "Love you, too, B."

Buffy woke up feeling warm and sated - and surprisingly a little sore. She turned around in Faith's embrace and started running her fingers over Faith's body. With a smile, she noticed that Faith might be asleep, but her nipples liked the attention. Buffy decided not to do anything too exciting, though, until Faith was awake to enjoy it.

"Feeling frisky already, B? Thought I'd taken care of that last night," Faith mumbled, keeping her eyes closed. If Buffy wanted to play, Faith was ready. If not…she was ready for that, too.

"I've always been frisky for you, Faith. You don't know how many times I wanted to fuck the shit out of you on patrol, or follow you to the motel room and fuck your brains out. Hell, I had countless Bronze fantasies of you, in the bathroom, on the balcony, in the throngs of people on the dance floor. You have no idea how many vibrators I went through, and I think Mom wondered about missing cucumbers, too." Buffy hoped her dirty (and true) talk convinced Faith of her sincerity.

"Fuck, yeah, B. I had those fantasies, too." Right up until she'd screwed up, Faith thought. "Why don't you show me one of your favorites, baby? We'll just pretend to be in the right place, B. The Bronze? I can hum. The cemetery? I'm sure we can find a stake and some dust somewhere."

Buffy rolled them over until she was on top of Faith. "I don't need fantasies anymore, Faith. I have the living, breathing, and fucking sexy woman right here." Kissing her deeply, Buffy rolled her hips and ground her curls into Faith's. "Tell me how you want it, lover. The kinkier, the better."

"Then use one of your new toys on my ass, B. I want to feel you deep inside me, your tits on my back." Faith was wet just thinking about it. "Don't hold back, B. Not even a little." She loved being able to say that. They didn't have to worry about hurting each other.

Buffy lifted up and twisted Faith's nipples. "Mmm, making your ass mine. Good choice, love." She climbed off the bed, walking over to harness up. "Who knew I would still love driving stick? I guess it's the person behind it that matters." All about safety, Buffy squirted copious amounts of lube on Faith's cute rosebud before slowly driving her faux cock in deep.

"Definitely…who's behind…the stick, B," Faith grunted out. Fuck, Buffy was good at this. When she could think clearly, Faith vowed to ask Buffy if she'd done this before. Right now, though, she was too busy slamming back into Buffy to talk.

For her part, Buffy used one hand to grab a handful of Faith's hair and reached underneath to play with her mental shopping list got bigger the more she pounded into Faith. Buffy knew Faith was well-rounded sexually, and Buffy was willing to experiment.

"B…" Faith was so close. Biting her lip, she tasted blood. "Oh, fuck. B!" Screaming Buffy's name, she hit her first climax…then her second. Who said mornings were bad? Faith's were fan- fucking-tastic.

Buffy pushed Faith through her climaxes. She wanted to give her a non-traditional "breakfast" in bed.

Faith's head started buzzing and the room spun. Five…six… She lost count after that. All she knew was the feel of Buffy's cock stretching and filling her and the sharp pain of Buffy's fingers on her nipples. The next time Faith climaxed, things dimmed. She was going down for the count with…just…one…more…

When Faith dropped onto the bed, Buffy pulled out gently and took off her harness. She donned one of Faith's shirts and headed for the bathroom to get supplies to clean Faith up. On the way back to the room, she smelled breakfast. Perfect. Hurrying to her passed out lover, Buffy wiped her down, returned the supplies to the bathroom and hamper, and hit the stairs.

"Hey, Buffy, you here to collect breakfast for you and Faith?" Tara asked with a smile.

"Yeah. Tara, what is your favorite online site for toys and other sexual products?" It was a little more blunt than Buffy had planned, but… Well, she hadn't really planned for the question at all. It simply popped out so she smiled as confidently as she could at Willow's stunned stare.

"Goodvibes dot com is good, but just Google your preferences. I'm sure you'll find whatever you're looking for." Whatever her past issues with stutters and blushing, Tara handled the answer with aplomb. Then she returned to the task at hand. "Here you go, sweetie," she said, handing Buffy a platter full of food.

"Thanks, Tare." Leaving Tara and Willow in the kitchen, Buffy took her bounty up the stairs. Faith was awake. Buffy spotted the slitted eyes and faked snores the second she opened the bedroom door. "Good morning, sunshine," she teased.

Faith's nose twitched. Food. Her stomach growled. Food. She gave up on pretense and pried her eyes completely open. She immediately spotted a grinning Buffy and two plates of syrupy pancakes. "Give." Rolling over with a groan, Faith held out a hand.

Buffy handed her the platter. "I think Willow took offense when I asked Tara where they get their sex toys. Luckily, Tara had no problem sharing." Carefully climbing into bed, she started on her own breakfast. "We'll do some serious shopping after we get our roomier place."

Faith had never had Tara's pancakes before. After the first bite, she knew why Buffy had once raved about them. "These are fucking awesome," she mumbled around a bite. After that, she simply shoveled them in. Other than Buffy, the pancakes were the best tasting breakfast item she'd ever had. In fact, she eyed Buffy's plate, hoping she'd have some leftovers. As big as the plate had been, Faith was still hungry after all the exercise last night and this morning.

Seeing the covetous looks, Buffy ate about two-thirds of her breakfast before handing the rest to Faith. "Since I gave up slaying, my appetite has actually gone down, but it

will pick up when I'm carrying our little girl." She was happy to note Faith didn't flinch at the reminder that she wanted their child. "I ate like a pig carrying Tory. Plus, I was horny as hell. It makes the HHs seem like nothing." _That _got a reaction out of Faith. She jerked and a drop of syrup fell on her breast. "I'll get that," Buffy murmured, leaning down to lick it off.

"I'll look forward to it." An image of Buffy, belly bulging out while she writhed under me… Faith wasn't sure if it was Pregnant Buffy or the tongue cleaning her skin but she coughed and choked on her next bite of pancake. She shuddered and moaned before returning her focus to the food. When the plate was clean, Faith belched loudly and flopped back on the bed.

"You'll have to have a contest between you and Tory." Buffy did one last check of Faith's breasts for any other drops of syrup. Damn. They were clean. "Tor has healthy belches. Me being 'Little Miss Dainty', I don't burp." She ignored Faith's snort. "I'm thinking shower since we reek of lovins."

"Yeah, don't want Tory to miss out on more sleepovers because people think her mom is a whore." Faith rolled off the bed and picked Buffy up. Walking them to the shower, she asked, "You think anybody'll have a problem with us being together? I mean, T don't seem to care, but her friends and their parents?"

Buffy kissed Faith's neck. Who knew Faith would be the one worried about that issue? "No, she has a couple friends with two moms and even one with two dads. No reason to be nervous, love."

"I ain't nervous." The protest popped out automatically. Setting Buffy down on the toilet seat, Faith spun the taps. "Sorry, B. Guess I haven't changed as much as I thought." She kept my back to Buffy, embarrassed by her knee jerk reaction.

Reaching out, Buffy swatted Faith on the ass. "I love the whole package, Faith." Then she gently stroked the red mark her palm had left behind.

"Thanks, baby." Faith felt like an idiot, but the hand on her ass was helping me get her shit together. "Come on, B. Let's get cleaned up and get the munchkin. I want to see this house in person, make sure it's good enough for my girls."

"Your girls love you, Faith." The shower could wait another few seconds. She kissed Faith her deeply as they stepped under the water before soaping up the shower mitt.

Buffy's words had Faith purring – and blinking back tears. Thankfully, the spray hid anything that spilled over. "Love you guys, too, B." She had to clear my throat. "Hurry the fuck up. We ain't fucking in the shower, you know. This is just so we don't freak the kid and make the witches giggle. Gives me hives when they do that."

While Buffy cleaned Faith's legs and butt, she leaned forward to bite a cheek. "You've definitely changed. I'm sure 'old' Faith would have wanted to fuck me six ways to Sunday in here." Straightening, Buffy turned Faith around and cleaning her front, too. "My turn, sexy," she said and handed over the shower mitt.

"Still want to fuck you, B." Faith scrubbed Buffy's stomach. "Just got more control these days. Remember me and prison? Let me tell ya,' them women were scary. No way was I that desperate. Had to learn control or go crazy." She spun Buffy and soaped her ass and rosebud before shoving her under the spray.

Still pushing for a reaction, Buffy took a mouthful of water. Turning around, she sprayed it over Faith's breasts. "I love your boobs, Faith." She shut off the taps and yanked Faith out of the tub, starting to dry her off.

"You are so fucked in the head, B," Faith told her as she grabbed the towel out of Buffy's hands and finished drying herself. Control was good; it wasn't foolproof. She was damned close to tossing Buffy onto the floor and taking her. Buffy pouted a little, though, so Faith kissed her lips. "You're also too beautiful for me to resist. I need to get you into some clothes so I can concentrate."

Buffy dried myself off before following Faith back to our room, waving gaily at Tara and Willow as they gaped from the hallway. "Hey Tara." When the door closed, she explained to Faith, "Now that Tara has seen the 'Full Buffy,' now she and Willow are even. What am I wearing today?"

"Clothes," Faith said shortly. Damned woman. What was Buffy thinking? Tara didn't need to see her all naked and shit. That was for Faith, and only Faith. Digging into Buffy's closet, she snagged a pair of black jeans. She added a short-sleeved green shirt with a collar. "Here." Faith tossed them at Buffy. "Wear these."

Buffy put the clothes on before running her fingers over her nipples to perk them up. "Do you have a shoe preference, sexy?"

"Nah. I ain't big on shoes." Faith didn't look at Buffy as she moved across the room and grabbed something for herself. She was ashamed of the way she was acting, but thinking of Tara looking at Buffy had Faith twisted up on the inside.

Buffy walked up to Faith and kissed her. "It's okay, Faith. Tara doesn't find me attractive. Besides," she placed Faith's hands on her body, "this is yours, Faith."

"I'm sorry, B." Faith moved her hands until they rested over Buffy's. "I'm acting like an idiot. I love you, and I know you love me. Just…my head don't always listen to my heart, you know?"

"I know, Faith." Gently pulling away, Buffy linked their hands and headed for the door. "Come on, sexy, we need to collect a nutball before checking out this house."


	15. Chapter 15

"She ain't a nutball, B." Faith pushed the jealousy back and concentrated getting back to normal. "She's just like you." Then, with a wicked grin, she added, "Fuck. OK, maybe she is a nutball." Like a shot, she was out the door and running for her life.

"What's with the Faith rocket?" Willow asked, watching Faith streak away from the house.

Buffy shrugged and did some watching of her own. "I think she thought I was going to retaliate for calling me a nutball."

"You are a bit of a nutball," Willow commented. All three of them leaned against the doorframe and continued to watch Faith as she ran down the sidewalk. "I've known that for years."

"Yeah, yeah." Despite the dry tone, Buffy wasn't offended. "Poor Faith. She must not realize I've infected her. She's as much of a nutball as I am." Faith _had _noticed Buffy wasn't chasing her. With a grin, Buffy saw Faith trotted back to the house and skipped over to meet her half-way - kissing Faith's lips when she was close enough.

"Ah!" Faith scrubbed her lips. "You mean I got your cooties, B? Fuck."

Tara and Willow giggled. "Like you didn't want those a long time ago," Willow said between bouts of laughter. "You were drooling over Buffy that first night you were in Sunnydale. 'Can I borrow your stake?'" Faith rolled her eyes as Willow tried to imitate her Boston accent. "You wanted to do more than just borrow that stake. Admit it."

"Yeah, she wanted to show me a new place to store it," Buffy added. "Luckily we have softer stakes to fill me up now."

"Eww! Buffy, I don't need to hear about my best friend's sex life," Willow squealed, putting her hands over her ears as Buffy turned around and wrapped Faith's arms around her.

Payback was so much fun. "Oh goddess, Tara." Buffy mocked in a husky imitation of Willow's voice. " Yes, right there…harder." She could almost feel Willow's and Tara's blushed. "Always remember, I have great hearing. You two have quite the nighttime melody." Then, having pity on her friends she turned back to Faith. "Ready, babe?"

"You got any doubts, B?" Faith made it as suggestive as possible and stepped out of the house. Of course, Buffy went with her since Faith's arms were still around her. "One munchkin, one house, and maybe a big party when we get back. Let's do this thing, B, before I start thinkin' or something and freak." Faith grinned and winked to let Buffy know she was only teasing. Somehow, Buffy and Tory didn't get the old running genes powered up.

Waiting while Faith opened the car door for her, Buffy said quietly, "If I see that freak look in your eyes, I'll just flash the Girls. I bet they'll get you back on track." She hopped into the car and buckled her seat belt.

"That might do it." Faith's agreement might have been better if her voice hadn't been so husky. She started the car and peeled out of the driveway. Thanks to her lead foot, it didn't take long to get the slumber party address. "You wanna go get her, B?" Faith was jonesing for a Tory hug, but she didn't want to get Buffy or Tory in trouble because of their relationship.

"Come with me. The girls have probably talked you up enough that Carol and Tony will want to meet you." Not giving Faith a chance to refuse, Buffy hopped out of the car and waited for Faith to come around to take her hand.

Climbing out, Faith smoothed a hand over her shirt as she walked over to Buffy. "They may just want to call the cops, B. You know everybody ain't happy about girl on girl lovin'." Buffy ignored her and dragged FAith up the sidewalk. Avoiding Buffy's mini-glare, she jabbed her finger onto the doorbell. That's when it hit her. "Fuck, B. You ain't wearing any underwear."

Buffy bit Faith's shoulder. "That doesn't make me a bad mother, just a lousy dresser." The front door, and Buffy smiled. "Hey, Tony, this is Faith, my soon-to-be wife. Where's Carol?"

"She's channeling her inner teacher and trying to get the kids to learn on a weekend," Tony said, opening the door wider to let them in. "I don't think she's having much luck."

"'Course not." Faith held up her right hand. "Stayin' up late, eatin' junk food, and havin' fun." The other hand rose. "Doing school sh…stuff on the weekend. What do you think?"

Tony smirked. "I like her Buffy, but she isn't anything like Tory said. After the wild tales all night long, I was sure Faith wore knives strapped to each thigh and had guns holstered on both hips."

Buffy laughed at the description. "She only wears those for my birthday." Reaching back for Faith's, she followed Tony into the kitchen. Carol must have given up on the lessons. She was busy pouring soft drinks. "Hey, Carol," Buffy announced, pulling Faith in front of her. "This is the famous, Faith."

Nearly groaning at the comment, Faith kind of waved at the short blonde woman across the room. "Hey."

That's when the Tory Missile streaked across the room and knocked her flat – for the second time in two days. Her ribs creaked in protest, and Faith bit her lip and held very still until the pretty little black flashes in front of her eyes went away.

"Glad to see me, T?" she asked with only a slightly noticeable wheeze.

"We're going to have to teach you to prepare for that, Faith. We can't let Tory keep putting you on the ground. You'll lose that tough girl persona." Buffy bent down and picked up her girls. "Thanks for letting her stay over, last night, and when we move, we'll invite you over for a house warming."

"Sounds good, Buffy, and you know we love having Tory over," Carol added as Buffy led her family back outside.

Faith ignored the ache in her head and tossed Tory over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "Listen up, kid. I'm gonna forget about the way you made the big, bad Slayer look like a chump. This one time," Faith said, dragging the words out. "But only because me and your mom are looking forward to checkin' out the new house."

"She's all talk, Tor, but you kind of know that already. You've turned the Dark Slayer into a big softie," Buffy informed Tory with a wink.

"Yeah, I know, Mom. Faith may be a tough girl, but she isn't with us. The best part is the smile now that she's here." Tory was still draped over Faith's shoulder when Buffy ran over and kissed her forehead.

Faith tossed Tory into the car and buckled her in. "Big softie, huh? You watch out, Little T. I'll show you soft. I will." With an evil smile, she stalked around to the driver's side and got them on the road. Buffy was terrible with directions. They got lost twice and Faith threatened to stop at a gas station and ask somebody to help before Buffy managed to get it right. Finally, they pulled up in front of a huge house surrounded by big fields and fences.

Before either Faith or Buffy got a chance to stop her, Tory was out of the car and leaping the fence. "I guess she wants to check the place out. Come on, sweetie." Buffy climbed out of the car. She took Faith's hand, opened the gate, and headed straight for the stables where Tory was standing. "Couldn't jump in, Tor?"

"Ha, ha, Mom. I wanted to wait for you guys." Tory frowned fiercely for a second. "Can we go in now?"

"Sure, T. Let's go." Faith maneuvered Buffy toward the barn. "Them Slayer genes are wicked, B. Did you see how high she got? Put her in a cap and blue tights and Supergirl'd have competition." She bumped Tory's hip as they entered the stables. The building was big and smelled like manure. Sometimes, the enhanced senses sucked. Trying to breathe through her mouth, Faith said, "It's empty, Little T. What are we looking at?"

Tory pointed and counted. "One, two, three, four. There are four stables here, Faith. I have three horses, and we can put my saddle and stuff in that last one."

Buffy scooped Tory up. "If the house isn't any good, you'll have to sleep in here." The look on her face told Buffy they'd be camping out in her. Tory had already mentally moved in.

"I'm tellin' you right now, Little T, Faith don't sleep in stalls. Too much like Ma's old apartment." Faith didn't mention prison because it usually pissed Buffy off. "If the house don't win a 'yes' you'll be sleeping here alone and I'll be out in the car. Least it's padded."

Buffy kissed Faith's cheek. "We could camp out in the yard, babe. Tents, air mattresses, hibachi, the whole nine yards." She punched in the numbers on the key lockbox before opening the door. "Go check the rooms upstairs, Tor," Buffy ordered, patting her butt and sending her on her way. "I already like the floor space. It'll mean a shopping trip, though. We don't have nearly enough furniture to fill it."

Rolling her eyes, Faith poked Buffy's stomach. "Please, B. We could be looking at a closet and you'd think shopping trip." She jumped out of the way of the elbow Buffy tried to jab into her side. "And on that note, I'm joining the munchkin upstairs." She took the steps three at a time and stuck her head into each room until she found Tory.

"Faith! Look!" Tory spun around in a circle and Faith grinned.

"What am I supposed to see except a Smurf Top?" Faith walked in and looked around. It was a decent room, but she didn't see what had Tory all wound up.

"The light. Geeze, Faith. I could _paint_ in here!" She added jumping up and down to her spinning.

Buffy laughed as Tory and Faith's conversation drifted downstairs. Her daughter would have Faith a devoted family woman before she knew it. Taking a last look around, she decided the living room and den were nice. So was the dining room.

Leaving the two girls upstairs to finish their conversation alone, she wandered off to check out the kitchen.

"Well, then it wins points, T. But I ain't giving it a thumbs up until we check out the rest of the house." Faith held out her hand and Tory stopped spinning to take it. "We got more rooms up here, and I bet your mom is lost downstairs staring into some closet."

Tory giggled. "Did she really have a lot of clothes when you knew her before?"

Grinning, Faith leaned down and said softly, "Her room was like a department store, Little T."

They giggled and checked out the rest of the rooms. Well, Faith stood in the doorway while Tory bounced in and out and examined everything. Finally, though, she dragged Faith all the way into one room and showed her the attached bathroom. "This the one you want?"

Tory nodded so hard Faith thought her head would pop off.

"I'll getcha a name tag for the door, Little T. Come on. We need to find your mom. I don't want her to feel too lonely." Faith spotted the master bedroom at the end of the hallway. "Let's see what goodies are in here then we can go downstairs."

There were lots of goodies. A whole body full of them.

Buffy looked up from her spot on the carpet and continued sliding her arms and legs over the Berber.

"Hey, B? You getting busy without me?" Faith completely forgot Tory was with her as she watched Buffy writhe on the carpet.

"Come here, Tor," Buffy said, patting a spot beside her. "Come on, Faith. You're from Boston. You have to know the land version: snow angels. Come on." She and Tory started making patterns on the carpet again.

Snow angels? "Um, I hate to break it to you, B, but… I lived in Southie. The thing you're doing required a yard, not a tiny piece of snow-covered concrete." She did lie down, though, and watch the two of them giggle and play.

Buffy let Tory play while she angled in Faith's direction. "You are not going to believe the kitchen here. It has a table, but it also has a booth like you have in restaurants." Leaning forward, she gave Faith a kiss. "This place is a keeper."

_She_ was the keeper, but Faith kept that mushy comment to herself. "I'll call Fang and let him know the deal's sealed. He gets a new employee and we get a huge ass house."

Tory squealed (it must be genetic because she sounded like Dawn). "_Yes_!" She was back to jumping and spinning.

Buffy smiled as she noticed Tory's antics. "You know you don't have to do that. I make enough with every book I write, but I understand the need to feel useful. Just make sure you don't work too hard; I have needs."

"I you guys are going to start kissing and stuff, I'm going to dance in my studio." Tory hopped out of the room, leaving Buffy and Faith alone.

"You know me, B. I ain't real good at sitting and doing nothing. I'll work while you write. If you need me here or Little T's got some school thing, I'll take the day off." Listen to her. It was like Faith had a clue if Angel would be OK with that. She kissed Buffy passionately. Who cared what Angel thought? If he didn't like it, Faith would quit and burn off her excess energy running around our property.

"I hope you don't know how to ride horses because I'm going to love teaching you." Buffy slid her hand between Faith's legs. "The feel of the horse between your legs while he gallops below, not to mention the friction on your clit in those tight pants."

"The only thing I know how to ride is you, B." Faith's mouth went dry as all the moisture in her body gathered under Buffy's hands. She stiffened. Tory was just down the hall and Faith didn't want her walking in on them. "Easy, B. We can play later. We got a house to by and a wired kid to calm down."

"Just stirring the pot, baby. No Buffy or Faith riding while we have a human top in the other room. You have to see her on her horse, though. She looks beautiful." Buffy sat up, pulling Faith with her.

"Of course she is, baby. She's your kid." Taking a deep breath, Faith stood up and held out my hand. "Come on. You go play with the top while I make a phone call." They walked down the hallway. "Be good, girls. I don't want to have to spank you both when I get back."

Walking back downstairs, Faith flipped open her cell phone and dialed Angel. "Hey, Big Guy. The house is a go. B and Little T are already planning the shopping trip."

He laughed. "I thought they'd like it as soon as she mailed me the link. The money's already in your account and I've got the firm's real estate department standing by to take care of the details. I can have the keys and the deed to you first thing in the morning."

"Wicked." Faith didn't know what else to say. "I…Uh…"

"You're welcome, Faith," Angel said softly. "And goodbye. Go be with your family and I'll see you here on Monday morning."

While Faith made the arrangements with Angel, Buffy and Tory left the sunny confines of the Studio. They headed outside and walked the full length of the fence. "We'll certainly have plenty of room to run our girls." She picked Tory up and placed her on the top of the fence.

"I can't wait, Mom. I miss riding every day." Tory looked back toward the house. "Aunt Faith's off the phone now. We should yell so she knows where we are," she said.

Buffy stared at Tory. Damn it. She kept forgetting how strong Tory's Slayer abilities were.

Slayer abilities. Faith deserved to know the whole truth about Tory. Buffy prayed the news didn't cause Faith to bolt.

Faith heard the shouts the second she stepped out of the house. Hand over her eyes to shade against the sun, she peered in that direction and caught two madly waving hands. She waved back and then hit full Slayer speed as she went to tell them the news. Even though Faith kept expecting the Bionic Woman sound effects, the only thing she heard was her own breathing and footfalls. A little disappointed, Faith skidded to a halt next to her girls. "Looks like we got a house, ladies."

Buffy saw the smile on Faith's face and knew she was going to tell her something that could cause it to go away. Why had she waited? Why hadn't she told Faith the truth from the beginning? She risked losing her with the information Buffy had withheld. "Tory, could you make sure the fence doesn't need mending at any point?" she asked, getting a nod and a kiss in before Tory took off.

Knowing Tory could hear them, Buffy waited until she sensed Tory was at the far end of the property. Then she turned to Faith with her eyes suddenly brimming with tears. "Faith, there is something you need to know about Tory."

Faith was on full alert instantly. "B?" Scanning the area, she noticed Tory at the end of the fencerow. She waved a little. Not wanting to scare her, Faith waved back. "What's wrong with T? She ain't sick or something?" She'd have Angel and Fred turning the world upside down to find a cure if she was.

Buffy shook her head. "No, nothing like that. There was another reason I left Cleveland as fast as I did: Will's spell to activate all Slayers. It activated Tory, too. I wanted to be here for Tory. I want her to have a chance to be a kid and have friends." She looked down to avoid seeing the disappointment on Faith's face. "I'm going to train her myself; I don't want her to have to deal with the stuff that I...we had to deal with. I'm sorry for hiding this from you and I'll understand if you need time."

"You're kidding, right?" Time? Why the fuck would Faith need time. "Babe, I love you and Little T. She could be your and Angel's kid and I'd still love her." She gripped Buffy's chin and made her look up. "I'd be the one volunteering to hit the butcher shop for her midnight snack. Get that frown off your face, B. You and the kid are stuck with me – and this house since Fang's already got it paid for." Kissing Buffy softly, she mumbled for their audience, "And you, Little T, will be getting your training from me when you're ready. Mom here won't kick your butt the way it should be."

Buffy jumped into Faith arms, knocking her down and kissing her with everything that she had. When they pulled apart, she perched on Faith's stomach. "What did I do to deserve you?" She lay down with her head on Faith's chest.

"Guess you missed the memo, B. I'm the one who should be askin' that." Faith stroked Buffy's hair. It was warm from the sun and seemed to cling to her fingers. "You're the Grand Prize, babe. Ain't nothin' or no one better."

THE END


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